


Lockheart

by addictioncrx



Series: En Garde [1]
Category: ONE OK ROCK
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, BL, M/M, Strong Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-22
Updated: 2015-03-23
Packaged: 2018-02-18 10:06:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 52,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2344469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addictioncrx/pseuds/addictioncrx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For someone who bottles up his feelings, it really takes a lot for Yamashita Toru to show his devastation over a broken charm. But after meeting Morita Takahiro, the college student goes through a series of life lessons and achieves self awareness, only to realise that a bunch of feelings he didn't know existed, had been buried deep inside that bottle, and they were slowly, but surely spilling out...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone, this is my first contribution to this fandom!  
> Before you start reading, I just wanted to let you all know that when I planned this story, I did it by drawing the scenes out... like a manga? So if you find this story to be really long and slow and also very cheesy, you'll know why... hehe. I'm really sorry if that isn't to your liking, though.
> 
> tl;dr, this story will be very long, slow, and hopefully full of fluff. Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope you like it!

Shades of bright colours danced around the brightly lit room as the balloons hung freely in the hair, the tips touching the ceiling ever so slightly. The long rectangular table filled with cold and half-eaten food left abandoned, with only one end of the table being surrounded by a large company of young children and their loving mothers. Their loud clappings and voices shook the balloons as they sung the birthday song with much excitement, not caring that they were going out of tune. With the main star sitting ever so high and mighty on his chair, he gave no more than a nod when a tower cake was brought before him, allowing him to blow the seven candles out with all his might. More cheering and clapping ensued after.  
  
With the cake being brought to the table, the children roared and jumped excitedly in place. "Open your presents!" they chanted endlessly. "Yeah, open them!"; "Open mine first!"  
  
As if to please the children, one of the mothers came over with a large but manageable pile of boxes, all wrapped in bright and patterned wrapping paper, in various shapes and sizes. She placed them proudly on the table before the birthday boy, smiling expectantly.  
  
The boy took his time unwrapping the presents, one by one. His first present turned out to be a rare, limited edition record of a foreign rock band, only ever growing in popularity. The other children gasped in amazement; it must have cost a fortune to pay for that record! Even their mothers were impressed.  
  
The boy only stared at his new gift, the same nonchalant expression remaining on his face. Granted, this was definitely something he had always wanted for the longest time, but his face showed otherwise. "Oh, thank you...," he said. "I love it."  
  
"Do you really?" one of the children asked out of mere curiosity. "You don't look very happy." The others agreed.  
  
"What are you talking about?" The birthday boy's mother, a tall, young lady with bright blond hair, stepped in, wrapping a loving arm around her litte boy. "He may not seem like it, but he's actually very, very happy. Right, Toru?" She grinned as she turned back to her child.  
  
Toru simply nodded, his face still devoid of expression. "Yeah... I really do."  
  
 ****

**** six years later ****

  
Ignoring the strong smell of incense lingering in the air, the large crowd of people endlessly blew their noses, pulling out tissue after tissue, mourning greatly over the loss of a loved one. With almost everyone dressed in formal black clothing, they were all lost in their devastation and grief, wailing about their regrets over and over again, and crying over how they would never be able to undo their mistakes. Behind them stood the less expressive ones, who only stayed in the corner with minimum pieces of tissue in their hand, sniffling quietly to themselves ever so often, mentally cursing themselves for their own mistakes. It was a room that didn't lack emotion.  
  
Toru stared at the casket before him, his eyes showing no sign of grief or sadness, not a single tear having been shed through his innocent preteen eyes. He could only watched as the people around him mourned and cried, not being able to do anything of his own.  
  
"How come you seem so calm?" one of his aunts complained, hiding her wet and grotesque face behind her plump and large hands, not being able to face anyone else. "Your sweet and loving mother has just passed, and you don't seem to care at all!"  
  
Toru widened his eyes slightly, surprised at the sudden comment, and opened his mouth to object, only to be interrupted by the same person. "How could you do this to her, Toru-chan!? She cared so much for you!" she let out a large, depressing wail, before being taken away by another relative, who was consoling her in the process. Toru could only watch as she was moved out of his field of vision, playing her piercing words in his head over and over again.  
  
 _Your sweet and loving mother has just passed, and you don't seem to care at all!_  
  
 _How could you do this to her!?_  
  
 _She cared so much for you!_  
  
Later that evening, when the event was coming to an end and most people had made their leave, Toru sat alone in the corner, staring at the floor with the same cold and boring eyes, unsure of what to do. It wasn't until he sensed a presence nearby that he looked up, only to find a very familiar relative standing just before him, looking back at him with the same eyes he possessed.  
  
The relative handed him a small box, in which the boy grabbed with his half delicate, half maturing hands. He carefully opened the lid, revealing a small yet exquisite charm, traditional but with intricate details. Complete with tiny jewels and sequins, it formed the shape of a guitar, an instrument Toru had always shown interest in, yet only known to his mother.  
  
"Your mother left that for you," the relative explained. "She wanted you to have it."  
  
But Toru didn't need an explanation; he already knew that just by looking at the charm. It was something his mother had made herself; she killed time making various charms of her own when she was admitted to hospital. At that time she was already sick, but healthy enough to be moving and focused on her favourite hobby. But as time past, she grew even sicker and sicker, and soon she no longer had the energy to even lift a finger. She became weak and lost all her will to fight, so all she could do was lie in her bed and listened to the depressing groans of the dying patients in the same ward as her.  
  
The only thing she didn't lose was her smile.  
  
Toru wanted to cry, but he couldn't.  
  
"Let's go," the relative said rather quickly, before turning to make his leave. "It's getting late."

 

**** another six years later ****

 

The train albeit crowded, was supposedly devoid of noise as the passengers paid no mind to one another, only occupying themselves with their own personal forms of entertainment such as a book or their mobile phones, minding their own business. For Toru, who stood in the centre of the car, his own environment would have been quiet as well, if not for the music blasting loudly through his headphones. With the guitar riffs and a mashup of unintelligible English words screaming into his ears, Toru remained poker faced, staring into empty space as he waited patiently for the train to reach his destination. Meanwhile he struggled to keep his balance, his guitar charm dangling playfully from his backpack.  
  
The train came to a sudden stop, with the robotic voice of a young lady echoing through the vehicle, announcing the name of their current location, " _Shibuya Station. Please mind the platform gap. Shibuya Station._ "  
  
It was a rather popular spot among locals and even tourists, so it was no surprise when more than half the capacity in the train alighted at the station, with no one boarding, leaving the train empty and refreshed. Toru closed his eyes and allowed himself to take a deep breath; finally, indoor fresh air. No more smell of sticky sweat or cheap perfume. He should enjoy this moment while he still could.  
  
As he opened his eyes, Toru decided to take a look around the environment for the first time, wanting to see how the train looked like behind the crowd of people that had been there just moments earlier. He noticed quite a number of passengers who were fast asleep, either with their mouths left wide open with drool dripping from the side, or their limp bodies struggling to stay upright before they sway to the side and accidentally rest on the poor stranger beside them.  
  
 _Some of these people could have missed their stops_ , the blond thought to himself with genuine concern.  _Perhaps I should try waking them up...?_  
  
Toru mentally shook his head disapprovingly. _No, that's too much trouble_ , he assured himself.  _Besides, that would be rude, and also pretty embarrassing if they hadn't missed their stop at all..._  
  
" _Doors are closing_...," the same robotic voice announced. Just as Toru was about to close his eyes and return to his musical wonderland, meanwhile in the same car, another young man had just awoken from his deep slumber. He made no effort to supress his gasp when he realised at which station they were at, and quickly scrambled to his feet and begin sprinting to the doors, dragging his large, bulky bag in the process.  
  
"Hey, wait!" he called helplessly, as if the doors could hear him and wait for him to leave before closing properly. During his attempt to catch up, his bag had carelessly bumped against the blond, waking him by surprise as he lost his grip on his own backpack, causing it to fall hard against the floor.  
  
As if the rude awakening wasn't enough, the impact of the heavy backpack and the fall had caused the charm to break upon hitting the floor, shattering into hundreds of tiny pieces and scattering everywhere, leaving the status of the charm now beyond repair.  
  
"Oh, shit!" the sleepy young man gasped again, turning to glance at the mess he had just made with his own carelessness. Toru had reduced to his knees, staring wide-eyed at the broken charm before him, baffled at the current situation.  
  
" _Doors are closing_...," came the last reminder, and the guilty young man could only yell an apology before turning and finally running out of the train.  
  
"Oi!" Toru called after him, but by the time he looked up, the young man was already gone.  
  
Turning his attention back to the broken charm, Toru could say nothing and only stare at it in disbelief, not wanting to believe what had just happened, even though he knew he was already so close to tears. As the train doors finally closed and the vehicle moving to leave the station, the other passengers could only remain frozen in their seats, staring at the blond, unsure of what to do or make out of the situation.  
  
The one thing most important to him, the only thing left that was precious to him, was now gone, and Toru could no longer get it back. Yes, he was just beginning to accept reality, but... at the same time, he wish it wasn't real...  
  
 _Fuck... fuck... Fuck!_  
  
 _Fuck that kid, seriously!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who took the time to read, comment, and leave kudos! Thank you to those who encouraged me to continue updating, either on the previous chapter, or by coming all the way to my LJ to comment. I really, truly appreciate it and I'm glad people actually enjoy my work! Thanks for making my day! And I hope you'll continue encouraging me in the same way!  
> I had a long and tough debate with myself about using suffixes in this story (e.g. Toru-nii-san, Mori-chan), but after giving it much thought, I decided to include them, because I think they will help the story progress somehow, and also show the relationship between the characters.
> 
> That being said, here I present you the second chapter, I hope you'll like it!

The following day didn't go right for the blond at all. He was constantly bumping into people in the hallways, and despite knowing that that was due to his own carelessness, he couldn't help but blame the other parties instead. _Couldn't they watch where they were going?_

Aside from that, he was also called on several times by his lecturers for not being attentive in class. It wasn't his fault they were all so boring. How was he supposed to know if they were asking him something!? It was very unlike him, so naturally his difference in behaviour had led to a lot of unwanted and unnecessary attention, particularly from the girls. Toru didn't like it one bit, and would respond to the lingering stares of his schoolmates with his own piercing glare, only to intimidate them.

But despite all that was happening, Toru had only one thing on his mind - and that was the young man who had broken his precious charm earlier. Toru could feel his own blood boiling just at the mere recollection of the man's pathetic, apologetic face. He would never forgive that guy!

As he visualised the memory of the young man from before, Toru tried to absorb as much information as he could remember... That guy, he did look around Toru's age... but his mannerisms were very much child-like. And he was much shorter as well...

A fresh high school graduate?

Toru grimaced in disgust as the possibility crossed his mind. _Kids these days..._ they only exist for the sole purpose of ruining everyone's day. Take that incident in the train, for example. _Ugh._ The younger generation were so spoilt; they needed to learn to mature and grow up like their elders, as soon as possible!

" _Ne_ , Toru-nii-san, what's up?" a voice with an obvious tint of genuine concern spoke up and snapped the blond out of his gloomy thoughts.

"Oh, Ryota..." Toru slackened his composure at the conscious sight of his childhood friend.

"Well, who else would it be? I've been here the whole time!" Ryota greeted with a wide grin.

"You know, I've seen you today for only two minutes and I can already tell that something's not right," Ryota continued, picking up his pace as he struggled to keep up with the blond down the hallway. "What's on your mind?"

Toru slouched his shoulders and pursed his lips slightly. Averting his gaze from his friend, he focused on the floor, pulling the usual nonchalant expression on his face. His hand tucked neatly into his pocket, he shrugged, saying nothing. Ryota only frowned in response. "You know that won't work on me."

He was right. Ryota so far had been the only person who was able to understand Toru and his feelings without the latter needing to say anything; Ryota could read him like an open book. Even if Toru said nothing, even if Toru's expression showed nothing, somehow Ryota was always aware of what he was thinking, or how he was feeling, as if it was all information already stored in the back of his mind. Most times, Toru was grateful for that skill of his; it saved the blond a lot of thinking and explaining in difficult situations.

But not this time; in the situation he was currently in, Toru thought it would be better if Ryota didn't know. But the younger was far too concerned about his friend's well-being to leave him alone.

"Something's different about you today, Toru-nii-san," Ryota said suddenly, and Toru could only arch a brow in disbelief and confusion; _what?_

Taking a few steps back, Ryota squinted his eyes as if to examine his friend, scanning every single detail on him. Then, his face lit up suddenly, as he proceeded to snap his fingers high in the air. "I got it!" he gasped. "Toru, where's your guitar charm?"

Toru felt a sudden jolt of pain in his gut, wincing as his friend carried on, "What happened? Did you leave it at home today?"

Toru simply stared at the younger, deciding it was so much easier to play along rather than to explain what had exactly happened. "Yeah," he replied, his fingers fiddling with whatever was in his pocket.

Ryota, however, was sceptical. "Why, all of a sudden?"

The blond made a quick turn and began walking down the hallway. "Just wanted to keep it safe."

_..was what I should have fucking done in the first place_ , Toru cursed. _Otherwise this wouldn't have happened!_

Still fiddling with the objects in his pocket, as if reminding himself that they were still physically there, Toru made a promise to himself that he would find a place to get his broken charm fixed soon. Even if the end product wouldn't look exactly like the original, so long as it was as close to it as possible, Toru didn't care one bit; he just wanted to keep his memory of his mother.

It wouldn't be a problem to fix it, would it? He had all the pieces; he painstakingly picked up all the pieces on the train, embarrassing himself in front of everyone else. Surely all that work would be worth it in the end.

But even he was beginning to lose trust in his own words.

*********

Toru leaned forward against the counter, shifting his body weight from one foot to another, tapping his fingers rhythmically to a familiar song against the marble surface. Standing across the counter was a middle-aged man examining the broken pieces of the charm through his miniature magnifying glass. As he did so, Toru waited impatiently, arching a brow expectantly at him.

"We're very sorry," the man said eventually, gently placing the materials down and presenting a disappointed look. "But I'm afraid we aren't able to fix this. You see," he picked up the broken pieces as if to show them to Toru, "The materials used in this are old and no longer desirable today, so we don't have any stock for them currently. They are probably rare and very expensive now.

"Besides, all our charms here are mass-produced," the man continued to explain. "Judging by the intricate details on this broken charm, it seems this was made by hand. There's no way we can replicate the handiwork of this thing." The man proceeded to flash a small, apologetic smile. "Perhaps if you pass these to the old lady in the convenience store just two blocks down, she might be able to help?"

The door slammed behind, the bell ringing aggressively, as Toru walked briskly down the cement path. Passing the obscure shophouses and lonely alleys, Toru muttered those annoying words to himself over and over again; _pass these to the old lady?_ Toru scoffed. Was that old man mocking him and his mother's precious work?

Toru couldn't help feeling insulted. _How could they serve their customers this way!?_ Sighing, he picked up the pace, looking at the time on his phone, 8:30pm. The sky was already dark, an impressively large cloak of black safe for the widely spread sea of stars. The people in the area were no longer people who had just left their office, but people who were out for a small drink, or perhaps just a bit of fun in a nearby entertainment district.

Sure, despite already being in college, he had to admit that it was getting pretty late for a school night. Toru was prepared to swallow his pride and give up searching for a place that could fix his charm that night; perhaps he could continue searching after school the following day – if he was in the mood. Either way, he wasn't going to let himself die without ever getting the charm fixed.

*********

The atmosphere was the same on the following day – the train, albeit being a bit more crowded than before, moved swiftly yet comfortably, with the passengers either sleeping, or minding their own business on their phone screens once again. Like before, when the train stopped at Shibuya station, a large percentage of the crowd alighted, leaving the vehicle half empty.

The blond this time decided to be aware of his surroundings. With a stoic expression on his face, he took the time to quickly scan the remaining passengers, particularly the ones that were sleeping.

_Nope_ – there was no sign of the kid from before.

...Which was a good thing, right?

Toru let out a small sigh, half-disappointed and yet half-relieved that that kid wasn't present in the train at that moment. He wasn't sure what he'd do if he saw him, anyway. Confront him in front of everyone else in the train? _Ha_ , he'd already humiliate himself enough in public. There was no way he would go through that five minutes of shame all over again.

New passengers came in smaller crowds to board the train, but the crowds became even larger and more frequent as the warnings for the closing doors were announced. While the car was slowly being filled by people once again, Toru closed his eyes and decided to focus on his music now, failing to notice a beanie-covered head with poofy curls playfully spilling from underneath, boarding the vehicle...

*********

"Ah! Toru-nii-san, you didn't bring your charm again today!"

"Mm," Toru responded softly, walking down the hallway with his usual unchanging expression. His hand once again numb from having been tucked into his pocket for too long.

"Did something happen?" Ryota questioned. "You always took extra care of it, didn't you?" Silence hung in the atmosphere as the blond refused to say anything, focusing his gaze only on the floor below him.

"Could it be that it... _broke_?" Ryota gulped. "Is that the reason, Toru-nii-san!? Is it–"

" _Mou_ , just leave it alone, will you!?"

The sudden outburst had caught everyone's attention, pausing in whatever they were doing and turning to stare at the odd students in the middle of the hallway. The poor junior standing there, the look of fear and concern spread all over his face, facing his senior, who seemed obviously tired and agitated.

Toru instantly felt sorry for having raised his voice at his best friend; it was unlike him to just express his negative emotions and yell out of nowhere... He didn't know what had taken over him. He wanted to apologise, but he felt so _ashamed_ , so _humiliated_. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, judging him, and he couldn't blame them. How could he? He had just yelled at the person most precious to him...

Ryota snapped out of his frozen status, shocked by his friend's response as well. He had always encouraged him to express his emotions, specifically his negative ones, but... he wasn't sure if he was referring to this...

Letting out an awkward laugh, Ryota forced a smile. " _Nee_ , senpai... I'm sorry if I said something wrong just now–"

A sudden burst of loud, obnoxious laughter broke the chilling silence in the atmosphere; child-like and high-pitched, it sounded like it belonged to a kid, and it was followed by a smaller collection of softer - _manlier_ \- snickers.

Everyone in the area turned to the source of the disturbance coming from the opposite direction of the hallway; there, a group of students were walking down, talking excitedly among themselves, much too engrossed in their conversation about some sort of barbecue dinner. No surprise they were oblivious to the current situation in the area.

The students looked very much like ordinary young men, sporting bed hair and wearing simple clothes as if they couldn't be bothered to decide on what to wear every day.

"Pipe down!" one of them scolded, his messy dark hair bouncing around as he did so. He seemed the youngest, but most responsible; however his neverending chuckling made it impossible for anyone to take him seriously, to be honest. "You laughed too loudly, now everyone's staring at us!"

The person he was talking to - also being the source of the obnoxious laughter from before - turned to look at the surrounding environment, his poofy curls dancing playfully under his beanie as he turned his head. Sure enough, the kid did notice that everyone had kept quiet and were now staring at them – but what he saw next made him widen his eyes and let a stifled gasp escape his lips.

"Uh, wait, guys– you can go on ahead without me– I think I left something in my previous class!" the kid babbled uncontrollably, the hint of fear and panic evident in his voice. Leaving no time for his friends to respond, he made a quick 180 degree turn and ran down the way they had come from, back to wherever his class was located.

"Oi, you're gonna be late for the lecture!" his confused friends shouted after him, exchanging looks with one another before deciding to run after him down the hallway.

Everyone who had been there, including Toru and Ryota, witnessed the entire episode, hopefully having forgotten about the incident between the blond and his friend, and they could think nothing but about how odd those students had been. Ryota guffawed, "What was that all about?" He turned to his friend. "That kid was weird, right, Toru-nii–"

_Ryota froze._

For the first time in forever, he had just seen something he thought he would never _ever_ get to see.

For the first time ever, Ryota saw Toru staring down the hallway, his eyes widened and his mouth slightly agape, face struck with fear and shock as if he had just seen a ghost.

He had on the same panicked expression as the kid did just moments before.

_But why?_

Toru couldn't believe it himself. It didn't care to him whether he was expressing his feelings at that moment, it didn't care to him that Ryota had stopped his sentence midway. It didn't matter at all. The only thing that mattered to him was–

_That kid._

_The kid from that day..._

_That fucking kid who broke my charm!!!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much again to those who took the time to read and left kudos! Because of you guys I get motivated to continue writing!  
> In this chapter, the only thing I would like to point out is the inconsistency of suffixes. There will be times when the characters will address one another differently (be it names/nicknames or suffixes), because we don't address our friends by their nicknames when talking about them to someone else. So I apologise if I have caused any confusion.
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read, and be sure to help me out when you can! Enjoy!

"Toru, what's wrong?"

Ever since that incident in the hallway, that short, unfateful meeting with that kid, Toru had been struggling to act normal. Despite putting on the same, apathetic expression all day, Ryota could tell that something just didn't sit right with the blond.

The two young men had settled down at one of the designated smoking areas in the campus, their bags thrown carelessly on the stone table, while they were seated on the bench. At this point of the conversation, Toru had already started smoking his third cigarette; Ryota was still smoking his first one.

"You know, ever since you saw that kid, you've been acting a little weird," Ryota pointed out slowly, careful not to agitate his friend again by accident. "Actually, come to think of it, he was acting pretty weird, too...

"Did something happen between you two?"

Toru threw his fairly new cigarette onto the ground and stomped it under his dark brogue. "That kid...," he began, his voice low and coarse as he turned to face his friend. "...Do you know him? He's in your grade, right?" He _had_ to be. There was no way someone as childish-looking as him could be a legitimate older student in college.

Ryota only arched his brows. "I've seen him around, but I'm pretty sure he's a senior."

Toru froze; _what?_

"In fact, all of them are seniors," Ryota added quickly. "My seniors, at least."

Toru made no effort to hide his surprised expression. That kid was seriously a college student? And at least the same age as him? _How!?_

Toru shook his head in utter disbelief, fishing out another cigarette and lighting it, before bringing it to his lips.

"If you keep that up, you'd be dead by next period," Ryota joked, albeit in a tone that still expressed his concern for his friend. "Something _did_ happen between you two, right?"

Toru blew out a puff of smoke before responding, "Nothing particularly important." He thought about the kid, and he thought about the charm incident in the train. It all seemed like too much to explain. "He just owes me something."

" _Owes you_...?" Ryota gasped. "You mean, like money? Toru-nii-san, you're _that_ kind of person!?"

" _Aho!_ That's not what I meant!" Toru scolded, stomping on his new cigarette.

*********

After that incident, after finding out that that kid was an actual student in his college, Toru seemed to be seeing him everywhere.

Throughout the entire day, wherever the blond went, he would always catch a glimpse of the kid out of the corner of his eye.

Most of the time, the kid was surrounded by his friends, and whenever they crossed paths, he would endlessly shush his friends and force them to walk in the opposite direction, much to their annoyance and confusion.

Toru, too, found this rather offensive; that kid had guts to openly avoid him. But even so, Toru had to admit that he didn't want to face that kid, either.

When the sun was beginning to set and the shades of sunset were playfully dancing against the school walls, several students were already done with their last classes and getting ready to head back home.

"Go on ahead without me," Toru said. "I have to talk with my professor first." Quickly bidding his friend goodbye, he turned and ran back into the lecture theatre, where his said professor was waiting for him.

Ryota understood this perfectly and proceeded to walk to the train station on his own. Toru was only his senior by a year, but naturally he would have more work and thus spend more of his evenings in school. Ryota understood this, and yet, he couldn't help feeling a little sad.

Sad, because he had been friends with Toru since elementary school. Sad, because he had to experience the physical separation with Toru, when the latter's family decided to move to Tokyo. Sad, because despite still spending time together in college, soon they were going to have to part ways and live separately again. And it was slowly progressing towards that path right now.

Ryota sighed to himself, brushing the depressing thoughts aside, as he turned to the direction of the station. His thoughts were interrupted when he couldn't help noticing a slight difference in the environment, and once more turned his head, only to notice that a strange, brand new store had just opened, located a short distance from the entrance of the station.

Ryota subconsciously stopped in his tracks to get a clearer view of the store – only to widen his eyes and blush slightly. It was an accessories store for girls! Decorated with various pastel-coloured items and wallpaper, the entrance of the store was completely transparent, allowing window-shoppers to pass by while looking at the interior.

Ryota could see from where he stood, that the store had already gotten itself quite a reputation among young girls. It was already packed with girls from different schools and levels, who had come to visit with their friends and giggle over the colourful and shiny accessories they could find there.

The young man found himself smiling, not realising that he had moved much closer to the store and was practically spying on the girls from the outside. _How nice, to be able to see all these cute and pretty young ladies..._

Ryota scanned every single face and head that stood in the store; there were some with bleached hair, some were a natural black, some had funky highlights, and there was one with short, dark, poofy hair...

Wait, that didn't sound right...

Ryota leaned forward and widened his eyes slightly, noticing something that seemed out of place – or rather, _someone..._ because one of those customers wasn't a girl at all!

He recognised that person instantly; it was that kid from before, that kid who had met eyes with Toru before running away! That kid who owed Toru! What was he doing here?

The kid obviously seemed uncomfortable and uneasy, being the only guy in the store, and surrounded by a godly amount of girls. He stood shaking as he waited at the counter, waiting for the staff to pack his purchase in a small, dainty little bag. Several girls were standing quite a distance from him, all eyes on him, giggling as they whispered something among themselves.

Ryota squinted his eyes, only to see that the kid had bought one of the charms, much to his surprise. Was he buying it for his girlfriend? Or perhaps the person he liked?

After receiving the pretty package, the kid quickly bowed and thanked the staff, before turning to escape the store as quickly as possible, all the while trying to ignore the girls' giggling, which were getting louder, their gazes following him as he made his leave. Flustered, the kid ran out of the store with his head down, not bothering to watch where he was going – or who he was bumping into, for that matter.

" _Ah_ –!" he gasped upon charging head first into Ryota's build by accident. The kid quickly looked up from the ground only to meet his gaze with Ryota's, and his face immediately flushed several shades of crimson. "S-sorry...!" he squeaked, before moving aside and running off quickly once again.

Ryota was left standing there, dazed and confused, scratching the back of his head in wonder. _Did he know who I was...?_

*********

The following day at college started off with a slight commotion.

The commotion had students talking, and their gossips eventually reached Ryota; a confession in one of the senior theatres, between two guys!

Several students - particularly the girls - couldn't help giggling to themselves, talking excitedly about how 'cute' it seemed, while a smaller portion of the guys grimaced. Ryota was naturally interested in the rumours and couldn't resist; he had to find out exactly what was going on! With a bit of questioning, he managed to find the exact name of the theatre, and made no hesitation to run there to witness the situation with his own two eyes.

The lecture theatre was already packed with students of different levels when he got there. The centre was left empty, safe for a group of guys fidgeting in their spot, standing right before another student, who stood solo, lean and had a slim build, with thick, blond hair...

Ryota nearly choked on his spit; that was Toru! And standing with the group was... There was no mistaking it; it was the kid from before! _But why–?_

Ryota instantly took notice of a familiar pretty package that the kid was holding in his shaking hands, and he immediately widened his eyes; he was going to confess to Toru using that?

But Toru hardly felt any romantic feelings towards anyone, so... how would he respond?

The guys patted the kid's back and cheered him on, urging him to make a move, while Toru simply stared from a distance, his face void of all expressions.

Finally, after much hesitation, the kid bowed nervously. "I'm sorry I broke your charm the other day," he began. "...So, I got you this to compensate for it!"

He extended both his arms to present the pretty package to Toru, who simply took it without saying a word. Ignoring the girly, floral design on the bag, Toru opened it and took a quick look inside. _No_ , the charm inside was way off and completely different from the one that kid broke! It was in the shape of a cross, and was shiny, coated with several diamond-like sequins all over it.

"I know it's very feminine as compared to the one you had previously... In fact, it's completely different," the kid continued. "But that was the least girly thing I could find at the store... and the charm you had had a lot of sequins, didn't it? So I tried to find something to match that..."

As expected, Toru made no visual response, but he only lowered his hands and stared straight into the kid's brown orbs. "It's nice, but... it's not my style."

The kid froze, staring at the blond with wide eyes as if he had not expected that response from him. In that moment, he could feel his entire world falling into pieces and crumbling apart, arrows and daggers stabbing at his heart repeatedly. _It was like getting rejected all over again!_

"I have to return this to you," Toru continued, handing the packaging back to the brunette. "Sorry for making you waste your time... and money."

The kid was devastated, but nevertheless still nodded meekly, raising his hand with much reluctance to retrieve the package back from him.

But before that package could even lightly touch the tips of his fingers, another figure had decided to butt in, staring straight at Toru, and surprising the two parties.

"Ryota...?" Toru uttered, not quite used to the stern look his friend had displayed on his face.

Trying to speak as calmly as possible, but still keeping a stern tone, Ryota began to speak, " _Gomen,_ Toru, but as a friend, I think what you're doing is wrong."

Toru arched a brow in confusion, allowing his friend to continue. "That guy had to deal with a lot just to buy that for you!

"I saw him at the store yesterday. He looked really uncomfortable being surrounded by so many girls, but he still persevered and crossed that bridge and bought that for you. In other words, he basically risked humiliating himself and swallowed his pride, he was strong enough to push himself to buy that charm! For you!

"I find that very admirable of him... and so should you, Toru!"

Ryota's words finished and left a strong albeit quiet impact on everyone else in the room, none of them having the courage to speak or even whisper to one another about what the hell was going on. Everyone had been too shocked at the young man's words - especially the kid, who was now staring at him in awe with wide eyes. _A hero...?_

Toru's expression relaxed and returned to its previous, apathetic look, and he let out a small sigh. "I see, thanks," he responded, though no one knew exactly whom he was referring to.

Lowering his hand, the blond said nothing more, only turning and making his way out of the lecture hall.

The dainty little package being clutched tightly in his hand.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't really have much to say for this chapter, except that it probably sounds rush since it's almost 2am here! Thanks so much everyone for your support; it really motivates me to write even more! That being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

It didn't take long before nearly everyone in campus was aware of the situation between Toru and the kid. It wasn't every day that you heard stories about a confession done in the middle of class, right in front of a large audience – or at least, it _seemed_ like a confession.

And although several students were amused by the situation, it didn't mean the parties involved enjoyed it just as much – in fact, Toru felt the exact opposite. He hated everything about it. Not only were people interpreting that he had just been confessed to and had rejected that kid, but that cruel impression of him based on rumours had given him a lot more unwanted attention than ever. There was not a single moment when he didn't feel at least one person's gaze on him, and when he tried to return the stare, the person merely turned away, pretending not to notice.

The blond couldn't wait until the next time he would see Ryota, but unfortunately that would be until the end of his class. Schedules often clashed between the junior and the seniors, naturally.

When his last lecture of the day finally ended, Toru immediately dashed out of the building to find his friend, already waiting and smoking outside the premises, his back leaning against the tall, stone wall that surrounded the campus – not an unusual sight for Toru, considering how Ryota was the one waiting for him most of the time.

"Yo," Ryota greeted, nodding his head in the elder's direction, but he made no further communication when the blond returned his greeting with a stern, cold look. Without exchanging another word, Ryota threw his cigarette onto the ground, crushing it beneath his sneakers, before turning and walking down the path in the direction of the train station. Toru followed closely behind.

"What was that back there?" he questioned immediately; for someone who often chose not to talk much, Toru couldn't stand the silence between him and his best friend.

"What do you mean?" Ryota asked simply, feigning ignorance, making zero eye contact with the other.

"You defended the kid back there," Toru replied. "Why did you do that?"

The both continued walking in silence for a while, before Ryota's response finally came. "...Because it's the truth.

"I saw him on my way back yesterday, at that new girly store that just opened near the station," he added. "Like I said, he was surrounded by so many girls, and it made him uncomfortable, but he still pulled through and bought that charm. I just think it was nice and admirable of him to go through all that, just for you."

Silence was followed once more, as if Toru was thinking very seriously about what Ryota had just said.

"You should apologise to him," the younger advised, and once again the blond gave no response.

Having had enough of the gloomy atmosphere between them, Ryota moved closer to him and raised the corner of his lips, arching his eyebrows playfully at him, teasing him. " _Soooo~?_ " he sang. "Why did he buy you that charm? Was it really a confession?"

Without waiting for a response, the young adult quickly threw his head back in glee, grinning to himself. " _Ee ya na~!_ How nice it must be to be a youth in love! To go on romantic dates at cafés, and walk down the sandy beach, holding hands while watching the sun set together..."

His dreamy fantasies only earned him a punch from Toru. " _Aho_ , I've never seen him before," he lied. "I don't even know his name."

Ryota's grin only became wider. "Then all the more reason why you should apologise to him!" Toru rolled his eyes and scoffed, but the younger continued to persist. "But, really, why _did_ he buy that for you?" With no advanced warning, he quickly leaned in and snatched the small, bright packaging away, which Toru had been clutching on to for nearly the entire day, since the incident in the lecture theatre.

Ryota wasted no time in examining the gift, ripping the package open and digging the charm out; cross-shaped and almost completely covered with diamond-like sequins, it was nearly as big as his own palm, and the exquisite design was far from humble. "Whoa...," Ryota gasped, scanning the charm from every angle possible. "This is so cool; it doesn't look that girly at all." He quickly turned to Toru and, with the charm still hanging onto his fingers, raised it against his dark leather jacket, as if visualising what it would look like if Toru were to wear it as an accessory on his outfit. "It fits you perfectly! Don't you think?"

 _Well, it doesn't look too shabby_ , Toru thought, but of course he wasn't going to admit that.

With a sigh, Toru slowly grabbed the charm back from his friend. "...All right."

Ryota blinked. " _All right?_ "

"I'll apologise to him," Toru added, and immediately Ryota's face lit up.

"I'm glad you said that!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Then let's go find that kid now!" And without hesitation, he immediately grabbed Toru's wrist and made a U-turn, running back in the direction of school, off to find the kid and apologise to him, and just get everything over and done with...

...or so Ryota thought, but after a whole hour spent wandering aimlessly around campus, the two young men were now resting on the benches in the smoking area, panting slightly.

"Fuck you, you made me run around school for nothing," Toru scolded in between breaths.

"Sorry...," Ryota apologised. "I forgot... classes should have ended... by now, so he might have gone home..."

Toru shrugged lazily. "...Maybe he's involved in club activities," he thought aloud, before leaning forward and extending a hand towards Ryota.

Ryota understood instantly, quickly fishing a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket, and handing a stick to Toru, along with a small lighter. Toru accepted them both, and just as he put the cigarette in between his lips, ready to light it up, a loud, familiar burst of laughter emerged from the school building...

Toru's gaze turned to the group of students who were just exiting the building, laughing and talking very loudly among themselves, oblivious to the environment around them. As they came closer to the area, he began to wonder if he had seen them somewhere before...

Particularly the one with the curls, which were bouncing around lightly as he threw his head back and laughed hysterically...

...And at that moment, Toru nearly spat out his cigarette.

_T_ _hat group! That kid!_

_That kid from before!_

His sudden coughing fit had attracted the other students' attention, and one of them even pointed at him boldly, "Oi, Mori-chan, isn't that the guy..."

" _Baka!_ He'll hear you!" the curly-haired one hissed, obviously flustered, before turning around and urging his friends to make a turn and walk back, much to their annoyance.

 _Yes, yes,_ Toru chanted inwardly. _Please go away!_

"Wait, come back!" Of course, Ryota had to intervene, just like before. The younger was already on his feet and running after the group, reaching his hand out to grab the flustered kid, scaring him - and the rest of the group - even further. "Listen, Toru has something to say to you!" Ryota announced, his gaze fixed on the kid the entire time.

The group turned around slowly, eager but at the same time reluctant to meet the gaze of the blond in question; sitting alone on the stone bench with a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips, a lighter in hand that matched the colour of his leather jacket, and a nonchalant gaze that seemed to stare right into their souls, the men gulped. This Toru guy looked like a frightening yakuza. _Why were they being associated with such a dangerous character!?_

On the other hand, Toru was trying his best to keep his cool, making sure not to show how flustered he really was. Well, he'd grown up learning not to express his feelings so openly, so this was a piece of cake for him; he was doing a much better job than the kid, who seemed to be blushing and sweating immensely. But the realisation that he was frightening him hit the blond eventually, and the latter quickly put the cigarette and lighter away, shoving them into his pocket, before getting to his feet and walking towards the group.

"Uhh, well, we'll leave you guys here! Bye!" the other guys began quickly, patting the kid's shoulders and grinning nervously, panic and fear, yet also excitement, present in their voices.

"Wait, don't leave me behind!" the kid squeaked, but by the time he'd turned, his friends were already gone, jogging down the opposite direction, gulping out of fear, but also snickering and grinning among themselves. _What were they up to now?_

Ryota took a step aside as well, leaving Toru and the kid standing face to face with each other, just inches apart. Toru glanced at his friend, who only gave him an assuring smile, as if to let him know that everything was going to be all right.

Toru turned his attention back to the kid; in this quiet, uninterrupted situation, Toru didn't fail to notice the other pursing his lips and turning away, trying to focus his gaze on anything _but_ Toru – _who could lay their eyes upon someone so scary, anyway?_

Finally, after a long, awkward silence, Toru took the initiative and bowed. "...I'm sorry about what happened earlier." It certainly caught the other's attention, who only blinked and stared at him, confused at his words. Receiving no response, Toru continued, "I'm sorry for making you go through all that trouble just to get me the charm... and I'm sorry for ridiculing you in front of everyone."

"N-not at all!" the kid bowed and responded soon after. He still hadn't fully registered the sudden kindness that Toru was expressing. "Actually, I... I also didn't apologise to you properly the other time...!"

Ryota arched his brows, witnessing the event before him. _These two actually knew each other...?_

Toru stood upright. "Mm, I was really mad that you just ran off like that," he said sternly, looking down at the person before him.

The kid made no attempt to stand upright, and only bowed down even further. "I'm sorry! I'm really sorry for breaking your charm–"

"Wait, what's going on?" Ryota questioned suddenly, breaking the apologetic moment between them. Both his seniors turned to look at him, while Ryota pointed a finger at them and only furrowed his brows. "You... you guys know each other? And– and," he turned to Toru, bewildered, "He _broke_ your charm? _What!?_ "

Toru felt the need to explain immediately, "Listen, Ryota–"

"– _What's going on between you two...!?_


	5. Chapter 5

"So, your charm was broken, huh..."

Ryota examined the imperfect object, piece by piece by piece, looking at them from every angle as if they were some sort of historical artefact.

"Yeah, it broke when my backpack fell onto the floor," Toru explained, eyeing his friend sternly. "Hey, don't lost any of them. I need them back."

Ryota understood and immediately handed them back to the blond, who then proceeded to keep it in the safety of his own pocket.

"It's such a shame, though," Ryota commented, a hint of worry present in his tone. "That charm really meant a lot to you, didn't it?"

Toru didn't respond, but he noticed from the corner of his eye, when the kid from before jumped up upon hearing his friend's words. Facing the blond properly, the kid gave a low bow. "...I'm sorry, I didn't know it was that precious to you..."

Toru shrugged simply. "It's fine." _I was going to get it fixed anyway_ , he thought, but figured it would be better to just keep that to himself. "Besides, since you already bought me this charm...," Toru brought out the cross charm from before, the very same charm that the kid had bought for him not too long ago, "...I'll put this on instead."

The blond pulled his backpack closer and began to attach the cross charm onto one of its zippers, the exact spot where his broken charm had been attached to previously. The kid watched intently as the other's long, slender fingers fiddled with the chain on the charm, carefully attaching it to the zipper, as if he was being careful not to break this one. The unique shine of the charm went well with the image of the dark backpack, and it certainly looked like it fit the blond's style perfectly. A gorgeous charm for a gorgeous man.

After determining that it was secure and tightly fastened onto his backpack, Toru looked up at the kid, the edge of his lips curled up slightly to form a small, albeit warm smile. "Thanks... Mori-chan."

The kid - now informally known as Mori-chan - was slightly taken aback by the sudden expression, and could only manage a small nod in response. "Uh... thanks," he muttered, completely oblivious to the slight shades of pink already creeping up his cheeks. _So, this guy could be nice, too..._

_Hey, what was that smile, anyway...?_

Ryota nudged Toru lightly by the elbow, snickering as he raised a brow playfully at his friend. "' _Mori-chan_ '?" he whispered carefully, making sure not to arouse any suspicion from the man in question.

"Shut up," Toru quipped. "That's what his friends called him." Ryota could barely hold back his laughter.

" _Ano_...," the kid's high and uncertain voice broke their short conversation, bringing the friends' attention back to him. "I see you two around sometimes... You guys are my senpai, right?"

Ryota tilted his head. "Is this your first year here?" But the other only shook his head.

"It's my second year."

"Then you're _my_ senpai," Ryota laughed. "Toru-nii-san is in his second year, too."

Both Toru and the kid couldn't help staring at each other, exchanging surprised looks on their faces. Although Toru was wide-eyed, he couldn't deny this warm, odd sensation filling him up from inside – he was... _happy?_ Happy that they were in the same grade!

 _But why_ was _he happy?_ The kid was the one who broke his charm, after all...

"Then, uh..." The kid furrowed his brows, confused and somewhat frustrated, folding his arms and tapping his chin as if he was thinking very seriously about something.

Toru understood the problem right away. "You can just call me Toru," he began, deciding it was perfectly fine to be called by his first name.

The kid blinked in surprise. "Really?" Toru nodded, confident, and once again the kid began to speak hesitantly, "Then, Toru...

"Since we're already here, why don't we go look for a place together, to fix your charm?"

Ryota arched his brows.

"Why?" Toru couldn't help asking.

"Well, since you said that that charm is precious to you," the kid explained. "Surely you'd want it fixed?"

Toru was almost shocked; did this kid just read his mind? Or was he just that easy to read? Inwardly, he was happy – no, _over the moon_ – that he had just offered to accompany him fix his broken charm, but...

"I don't mind," Toru responded. "But aren't your friends waiting for you?"

" _Ah_ –!" the kid gasped, widening his eyes again in panic. "I completely forgot!" Chanting curses to himself, the kid quickly turned to make his leave, hoping his friends hadn't gotten tired of waiting for him and left without him.

"Wait!" Toru grabbed the brunet's arm and held him back from running off; he wasn't going to let him go like the last time. "Let's go tomorrow," he pleaded, though his tone sounded anything but. "Noon. At Shibuya Station."

The kid stared at Toru for just a moment, before nodding in acknowledgement. "Got it," he said. "Nice meeting you, by the way!" After Toru and Ryota returned their greeting, the kid finally broke free from Toru's - weak - grasp and ran back into the school building.

Toru couldn't help watching as the diminutive figure ran out of sight, before turning back to his friend, only to be greeted by a rather wide grin accompanied by a pair of disturbing wiggling eyebrows.

Toru wanted to punch him. "What...?"

"You basically just asked him out," Ryota said, his grin only getting wider.

Toru scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. He was going to ask me out in the first place–"

Ryota ignored his words completely. " _Ee ya na~!_ How nice it must be to go on a date with someone as cute as that!" he chuckled. "I wish I could join in."

"You mean you aren't?"

"Nope, I have assignments to finish this weekend."

"Oh..." Toru's heart skipped a beat. "...Good luck, then," Toru responded after a short pause, though his voice trailed off at the end. The realisation that he was going to be alone with the kid the following day was slowly hitting him, and although he didn't like the fact that his best friend wasn't going to be there with him...

...he was happy.

 

*********

The following morning, Toru found himself endlessly staring at the time. The morning hours seemed to go on and on; Toru wanted the time to go faster, but at the same time, he just wished that time would stop forever.

Apparently he had been too excited and nervous that he awoke naturally at six in the morning, and hadn't been able to stop shaking ever since. He couldn't go back to sleep, lest he overslept, but he had simply too much free time now. Unsure of what to do, he was constantly staring at the time on his phone screen, sometimes even wishing that he had asked for the kid's number the day before.

What would he do if he had his number, anyway? Perhaps Toru would get to know him a little better, perhaps ask him a stupid question or two, like, _what are you doing now?_

Now Toru himself was wondering what the brunet was currently up to. Looking at the time now, the kid was probably... preparing his own breakfast? Toru could picture him standing alone in the kitchen, making a sandwich for himself, stuffing the two slices of wholemeal bread with margarine and tuna and lettuce... before dumping a whole bottle's worth of ketchup all over.

Toru laughed quietly to himself; that did seem like something he would do.

And perhaps later, Toru would let the kid know more about him, as well.

 

*********

After a few albeit long and agonising hours, the time for them to meet had finally come. Toru was already waiting for the brunet at the train station, hands tucked in his pockets, back leaning against the marble wall... his entire body still shaking.

 _What the fuck was he even shaking for?_ They were just going to get his charm fixed, that was all.

 _Don't forget this is the very same kid who broke your charm,_ Toru reminded himself mentally.

Toru turned to look at the time on his phone, reading about five minutes past noon. _Where the hell is he?_ Did he forget that they were supposed to meet up? Or worse– _did he choose not to come instead?_

Just before his negative thoughts were able to take over, the blond caught sight of a familiar petite figure, squeezing through the crowd entering the station. The dark curls bouncing with every step, his scarf dancing with every move – yeah, there was no mistaking it!

It didn't take long before the kid finally managed to emerge from the crowd into a less crowded area, scanning the station as if he was looking for someone.

Instead of walking over to him, Toru remained frozen in his spot, feasting his gaze over the figure while he still could. The brunet was wearing a printed white shirt under a dark, wooly cardigan, followed by a scarf hanging loosely around his neck; the outfit complimented by a pair of skinny jeans and sneakers.

What could Toru say... the kid was _fashionably late._

The kid found him eventually, and with a bright smile, walked quickly towards him; in the meantime, Toru stood upright and tried to make himself look presentable, fixing his own outfit and brushing any imaginary dust off his clothes.

"Sorry for making you wait!" the kid apologised. "I came late even though I live here..."

Toru's heart fluttered for a bit. _So he lived here?_ That would explain their first meeting, then...

_Could it be that he was late because he couldn't decide on what to wear?_

Pushing those irrelevant thoughts aside, Toru quickly turned and began walking. "Let's go," he said briefly. The kid nodded and followed closely behind.

They walked around the streets and tried to cover as many stores as possible, from tourist souvenir stores – in which one of them _did_ offer to fix it for them, but only at a ridiculous price that was even higher than Toru's rent – to candy stores, which tried to convince them that they could get the broken pieces to stick together in just a matter of seconds with some hot caramel. They generally avoided the stores that were popular with teenage girls with their obnoxious blonde wigs and fake tan; just a mere glimpse of them brought shivers down their spines, and they tried to walk past them as quickly as possible (though that was generally impossible, given the large crowd, especially on the weekend).

At one point, it seemed like they were walking around aimlessly, as if they were just blindly going with the flow of the crowd and ended up walking in circles. Toru entered the nearest store – or rather, the store that stood out the most, filled with bright neon lights, shelves lined up with intriguing objects of various shapes and sizes. Toru tried his best to ignore them and began to mutter something to the cashier, then left the store soon after.

Throughout their endless yet fruitless scouting, Toru couldn't help stealing glances in his friend's way every now and again. After a little over an hour of walking around with the sun shining directly above them, and with people pushing and shoving against them all the time, Toru was beginning to feel tired and craved some shelter and a drink. Surely the other was feeling just as tired?

"Let's take a break," Toru decided to take the initiative. With the brunet agreeing, Toru led him quickly through the crowd, eager to find the spot perfect for them to replenish themselves.

Both young men soon found themselves sitting at a café; cold and quiet as compared to the environment outdoors. Toru had chosen this place because it was the safest; he didn't know what the other liked, after all. Besides, who didn't like cafés?

Seated across each other with their drinks on the table right before them, Toru couldn't help noticing that the brunet had helped himself to a tall mug of hot chocolate, as compared to his espresso. _So, he had a sweet tooth, huh..._

By this time, Toru had already taken a few sips of his drink, however the other's was still left untouched, the brunet preoccupied with fiddling his own thumbs. Toru scoffed to himself; it was as if his thumbs were more interesting than... well, _him._

"Oi, Mori-chan," Toru called, causing the other to snap out of his blank state and turn his attention to the blond. Toru's expression remained unchanged. "You know, if you were tired, you could have just said so."

The kid shook his head. "We were looking for a place to fix your charm, so I don't really mind."

"You were _obliged_ to follow me," Toru argued.

"I'm–..." the other blinked, unsure of what to say. "...It's not like that..."

_What an idiot._

"Ah, but there was this really weird store, wasn't there?" the kid spoke up suddenly, as if starting an attempt to change the topic. "The one with the old man behind the counter; that store had these weird figurine-things that were in bright colours, and the place smelled funny... Why did you enter such a store, anyway?"

"Mori-chan," Toru responded, his tone now much more stern than before. "That was a sex store."

"That was a...," the kid repeated to himself, trying to register Toru's line carefully, word for word...

"EEEEHHHHH–!?" he shrieked, nearly shaking the table and receiving disturbed looks from their neighbours. Oblivious, he continued to panic. "A _se_ –!? But what was it– why would you even go in there–"

Toru remained silent, inwardly laughing to himself as he watched the amusing scene unfold before him, with the kid endlessly confusing himself even further with his babbling questions. _This guy had no idea what a sex store look like?_

 _He was so innocent and child-like..._ Normally Toru would find these traits annoying and stupid, but for some reason he found his strangely attractive with the brunet...

Wait.

No, that wasn't right.

Shaking his head and taking a sip from his semi-bitter drink, Toru shrugged. "I was just lookin' around."

"Looking around–!?" The other was still flustered. "You don't just _'look around'_ in places like that...! Wait, why would an old man be working there, anyway!?"

The blond allowed the other to continue his frantic rambling, finishing up the last few drops of his drink. _This guy is seriously an idiot,_ he thought to himself. _So much that watching him alone is painfully hilarious._

After what seemed like ten whole minutes of mindless panicking, the kid finally calmed down, settling back into his chair and placing his hands on his mug; his drink had probably gone cold by then. His cheeks remained a bright pink, hinting that he was still embarrassed from before, but it was obvious that he was trying to put that aside for now.

Taking a deep breath and hoping to reduce to a more somber expression, his calm, lowered voice began to speak.

"...I still haven't forgiven myself yet, you know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To avoid any spoilers and/or confusion, notes will be here for this chapter only.  
> Somewhat relevant(?), but one time I dragged my friends into a sex store without knowing. It has been four years since that incident and they still haven't stopped laughing at me up till now.  
> Also, I'm still going to call Mori-chan 'kid' to avoid inconsistency and, again, confusion.  
> Thanks for taking the time to read and support me, and I hope you will continue to do so! I love you guys.


	6. Chapter 6

"I'm really sorry for breaking your charm the other day. I didn't mean to."

The petite figure before him lowered his head slightly, refusing to meet his gaze with the blond's. Toru could only stare at him in silence, surprised by the sudden change in his mood, by the unexpected apology - but he tried to brush it off. "It's all right," he said. "It wasn't that important, anyway–"

"It _was_ important!" the other replied sternly. "Your friend said it was precious to you!"

Toru's expression darkened at the mention of Ryota. He knew his best friend really meant no harm, and that he had only wanted to help, but sometimes Toru just wished he had been more pragmatic.

Shaking his head, Toru focused his gaze on the empty coffee mug on the table. "It doesn't matter."

"If only I knew how much it meant to you...," the kid continued to mutter, as if he hadn't been listening to the blond at all. Then, after a short, hesitant pause, he added, turning to face him, " _Nee_ , may I ask? Why was that charm precious to you, anyway?"

 _Fuck._ This was exactly what Toru had been trying to avoid.

With an apathetic look, he shrugged. "...It was just very important to me, that's all."

" _Baka,_ you think I'd fall for such a weak lie?" the brunet scolded, much to Toru's surprise. "Surely there's a reason for why it was so important to you..."

Toru stared at the kid as his voice trailed off, and he didn't fail to notice when his eyes were lowered again, a strong hint of sadness already displaying through his deep, hazel orbs.

Toru felt his chest getting tighter. That was the exact same look Ryota had given him when he found out...

Without saying a word, Toru quickly got to his feet and turned to leave the café, walking quickly to the door. He knew what was going to happen. He wasn't having this conversation any more.

But the kid was just as stubborn as him; he wasn't going to drop the conversation any time soon, and he too got up and chased after the blond, closing the café door aggressively behind him. And when he finally caught up with Toru outside, he made sure to grab the blond's arm and tighten his grip, pulling Toru towards him with all his strength.

"Stop running away!" he cried, and Toru did indeed stop in his tracks, only he refused to turn back to look at the older. He winced, noting how deep the other had dug nis nails into him, despite their skin being separated by layers of clothing.

"Look...," the brunet began to speak, his tone initially sounding stern and serious, as if that was the key to get Toru to listen to him. "I know we barely know each other, and I know I have no right to ask you such personal questions, especially since I was the one who broke that charm.

"I probably wouldn't be able to help even if you tell me anyway, but, I still want to know..."

Toru's chest was starting to feel heavier, noticing the genuine sadness in the other's husky, yet innocent voice. He frowned, not knowing if it was due to the passers-by giving them a wide range of peculiar looks, giving them the attention they never wanted, or if he just didn't like how his own emotions were responding. But even so, he still wanted to know what the kid had to say...

He blinked in surprise when he realised he could no longer feel the grip on his arm, and didn't fail to hear another small, depressing sigh coming from the older. "It seems like, this whole week, all I ever managed to do was offend and humiliate you," he muttered.

" _Gomen ne,_ Toru. From now on, please just regard me as the idiot who broke your charm."

...He was already cutting off the relationship they never had.

 _What?_ Toru couldn't deny that he had at some points addressed the kid in that way, but hearing him say so himself... somehow, it just didn't feel right. Besides, it was hard to imagine that the kid who had broken his charm and simply ran off on that day, was the very same person who was being so apologetic, the very same person who sounded so desperate to receive Toru's forgiveness right now.

He didn't want to regard the kid as 'some idiot that broke his charm' any more. He wanted to regard him as someone more significant. He wanted that 'idiot' to be a part of his life...

A couple of footsteps from behind hinted the brunet about to make his leave, and Toru quickly made his move; it was his turn to grab his arm and, to the kid's surprise and fear, Toru pulled him hard and began to drag him down the path, making several turns behind the store buildings. He went on and on, the kid making no objection, until they finally came to a rather dark alley behind a lonely cobbler store.

A cool breeze brushed against the young men, the faint scent of ozone lingering aimlessly in the air, indicating that a storm was nearing. Already the skies were several dark shades of grey, and shadows were slowly being engulfed by that of the clouds above them. And yet, the sound of thunder was absent, as if the world was being overwhelmed by intangible silence.

The two came to a stop in the middle of the alley, panting, trying to catch their breath after a long run around the crowded maze of Shibuya. Neither of them saying a word, the kid was utterly confused, but couldn't muster the courage to question the blond.

Toru turned to face the other, his gaze staring straight into him, and the kid stared back into his dark chocolate pools; they almost seemed dead, devoid of emotion. He shuddered; it was like staring into a dead man's soul.

He shifted his attention to Toru's hand, in which he already held all the pieces of the broken charm. Shattered to an unrecognisable state, that charm seemed almost as dead as the owner.

"This... was made by my mother," Toru began, his gaze focused on the broken charm as well.

The brunet immediately realised what was going on, and he quickly responded, "Wait, you don't have to tell me this if you don't want to. I'm just a stranger–"

"I'm telling you this because I don't want you to be 'just a stranger'," Toru quipped, and the other stopped, realising that, after all, he was the one who had asked for this in the first place.

Toru sighed, reverting back to his previous topic. "She made it for me when she was sick, just some time before she... you know..."

The older pursed his lip, an odd sense of guilt filling him from the inside. "...I understand."

At that moment, Toru's posture seemed to relax slightly, his shoulders slouching as he casually shoved the broken charm back into his pocket. "Anyway, that's all I wanted to say," he finished. "I was young when all that happened, and that charm was all I had; that's why it was so precious to me."

Neither of them said anything more, but Toru could imagine the kid mentally cursing himself, remorseful for what he had done.

"Don't worry about it," Toru added in an attempt to cheer him up. "I'm not in a rush to get it fixed or anything. I already have another charm to compensate for it." He flashed a small grin, turning his backpack over and showing off the cross charm from before.

But when he received no response from the kid, except for a small hiccup that just escaped his lips, that was when Toru realised that the other had been...

...crying?

_Shit..._

"...Aho," Toru called, his tone stern, but shaky with concern. "Why are you crying?" The brunet remained silent, giving only a slight sniffle, and Toru frowned.

"...Stop that," he pleaded. "Stop crying."

As if obliging to Toru's request, the kid lifted a shaky hand to his face, wiping his tears away with the sleeve of his cardigan. "I...," he managed to speak, his voice now soft and croaky, very much different from what Toru was used to hearing. "I'm sorry that had to happen."

Toru slowly shrugged, hiding his hands in his pockets and turning away. "Don't be," he replied. "It wasn't your mother, anyway, so you don't have to cry for me."

"But it was _your_ mother!" the other scolded, raising his voice slightly. "Doesn't it bring back the sad memories when you think of that broken charm?

"If it was so precious to you, then you must have loved your mother a lot, right?" he questioned. "And yet, not once have I seen you shed a single tear...

"It's... i _t's as if your mother no longer mean anything to you at all!_ "

With those words being said, Toru instantly felt a shattering pain in his guts, feeling like someone had just mugged him and was trying to beat him up, stomping on him endlessly as if trying to break his bones and reduce him to a pathetic mush. Toru was beginning to see red; _he_ was the only one who knew how much he cared for his mother. _How dare the kid said that about him!_

"You don't... express your emotions very well, do you?"

The kid spoke again, and once more, Toru could only stand and stare at him. Where was this kid going?

"It must have been very difficult for you, huh? To hide so many things and keep them all to yourself."

Before Toru had any time to respond, the kid had already pulled him closer, his arms wrapped tightly around his slim build. Only half of Toru's face was pressed against his scarf, his wide eyes being able to see that the kid was standing on his tiptoes, trying to reach Toru's level.

"It's okay to cry sometimes, you know?" the brunet added in between sobs, just when Toru was about to question him. "You don't have to hide anything any more, from now on." The blond said nothing, unsure of what to make out of this situation. He could only remain frozen in that uncomfortable state, the other's dark and poofy curls brushing playfully against his cheek, the lower half of his face buried deep into the older's clothes.

Toru took a deep breath, and instantly a strong warm and nostalgic sensation began to overwhelm him. That scent... it was so familiar; he could almost see himself walking down memory lane, back to the days when he was no older than an elementary schooler. He was reminded of the one time when he came home, drenched completely from head to toe, for there had been a storm and he had forgotten to bring an umbrella to school. He remembered clearly when his mother prepared the bath for him, before tucking him to bed that night, wrapping her very own hand-knitted scarf around him to keep him warm during the night.

 _Oh..._ so the kid's scent was identical to that of his mother's scarf.

Toru blinked his eyes, feeling a warm drop of water rolling down his cheek before being soaked in the layers of clothing beneath him. Soon came another drop, and another... and then another. It took some time for the younger to realise that the droplets hadn't been the rain, but instead his very own tears.

The blond's face was soon completely wet with his emotions; with _several years'_ worth of tears, several years' worth of the sadness and frustration that had been kept building up inside of him. The sadness from having been left alone, and the frustration from never knowing why he was left alone.

_Why?_

_Why did Mum have to leave!?_

Toru quickly lifted his own arms and wrapped them tightly around the brunet, pulling him in closer, never wanting to let go of him, never wanting him to leave.

With a slight hiccup and a deep breath, Toru managed to muster all the strength he had left to speak, his voice muffled as his mouth still remained pressed against the other. "Arigatou... Mori-chan."

And immediately he was being pushed away, his gaze inadvertently meeting the other's. _Shit,_ Toru cursed to himself. He didn't want the other to see him like this...

But as soon as he realised that the brunet's face looked just about as wet and wrecked as his, Toru managed to relax.

Toru didn't fail to notice him pouting slightly, understanding that he was trying to be angry, but... there was no way anyone could take such a cute face so seriously.

Gripping tightly onto the blond's shoulders, the kid began to scold him, "Baka, don't call me 'Mori-chan'."

Toru blinked. "Oh," he managed simply. "Your friends called you that, so..."

The other's pouting only got stronger. "You can just call me Taka." Noticing how confused the blond was, he quickly added, "Morita Takahiro. That's my name."

Wait...

"You're giving me permission to call you by your first name?" Toru questioned in disbelief.

The other nodded confidently.

And...

For the first time in ages, Toru smiled.

"Thanks...," he replied. "...Taka-chan."

"...Oi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And from this chapter on, the 'kid' shall be known as 'Taka'!  
> Sorry this chapter was so short. It was originally a part of the next chapter (Chapter 7) but then I realised the chapter was far too long, so I had to split them.  
> Hope I did service to this chapter.  
> Thank you to those who commented and are continuing to support me! You guys make me so happy and I love you all!  
> And I hope you enjoyed chapter 6!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Several times I have choked on various foods for the stupidest reasons (just imagine, playing horror games while eating cup noodles, watching a comedy show while shoving almost the whole kitkat bar into your mouth...).  
> Once again, thank you all so much for your support and encouragement!! It makes me so happy and I just want to keep writing and writing, all because of you guys. I love you all ; o ;  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter, which is the longest one I've written so far! (and kudos to anyone who noticed a teeny weeny change I made...?)

Several days had passed since that weekend, since the day Taka and Toru had gone out together, since the day Toru had lowered his guard, since the day Toru had shown his weakness for the first time to somebody else. And normally one would find the atmosphere to be very awkward around them...

...but it wasn't.

In fact, since that incident, Toru and Taka now found themselves bumping into each other more often in the hallways, during breaks and in between classes, and their simultaneous reactions would automatically be to smile and wave at each other, much to their friends' amusement. Especially for Ryota, who felt that he couldn't possibly be left out in his best friend's personal achievements.

"Soooo," he sang one day, when the two friends finally had the time to sit down and catch up with what was going on in their lives outside college. "What's been going on between...?"

Toru barely responded, only arching a brow at his friend, feigning ignorance. "Between...?"

Ryota rolled his eyes. "You know! You... you and... that kid!"

"Oh, Taka-chan?" Toru clarified, and the other simply blinked.

" _'Taka-chan'_...? Is that his first name?" And upon those words, Ryota's eyes lit up as the edges of his lips raised to form a sly smile. "Ahh... so you two are in that kind of relationship already..."

 _Shit,_ Toru cursed. He should have just kept his mouth shut.

"No, we're not," he quipped. "We're just... acquaintances." But then he fell silent. Was that even the right term? He realised that even though Taka now knew about his mother, Toru _barely_ knew anything about him.

"Acquaintances?" Ryota repeated in confusion. "But didn't you guys go on a date last weekend!?"

"Keep your voice down, will you?" Toru shushed him. "And nothing much happened..." His fingers tucked neatly in his pocket, fiddling with his still-broken charm as usual, he added, "I just told him about the charm."

Ryota's expression immediately darkened, his gaze shifting to show genuine concern and sadness. "Oh...," he only muttered, lowering his head.

Toru frowned. "What's with that reaction?"

"Well, it's just that..." His friend furrowed his brows, trying to put his concerns into words. "Do you feel okay now?"

The blond knew that the younger was only asking because he was truly worried about his feelings; after all, before Taka, he had been the only one who knew about the charm and his mother. He'd been the only one who knew how much that charm had meant to him. He was just looking out for a good friend.

"Never better, actually," the blond said, flashing a small smile. In fact, Toru had been feeling a lot happier and even lighter, ever since he cried his feelings out that weekend.

"So... nothing really happened...?" Ryota questioned again, looking up at the taller one with an inquisitive gaze, as if still expecting something more.

Toru blinked, puzzled by his friend's odd gesture. "What do you mean?"

"Well, since this week started," Ryota sighed as he began to explain. "You've been acting a little different, Toru-nii-san."

"Different?"

"Yeah, you laugh a lot easier now, and you're not afraid of speaking about your feelings any more."

Toru made no response. Although he wasn't as good an observer as his best friend, he admitted that he _did_ feel like something was different the past few days, as if something about him had changed.

"Well, maybe it's just me." Ryota shrugged. "For a while, I almost got my hopes up..." Toru arched a brow at his friend, who continued to ramble as if he knew Toru was waiting for an explanation. "I thought something special had happened between you and that kid, so I was thinking maybe he has something to do with the changes you're going through right now."

Well, something did happen between him and Taka, but it wasn't like Toru was going to tell him about it.

 _But, why...?_ It puzzled him greatly, especially since they'd talk to each other about... well, just about anything.

"That's all right, though. I still like you for who you are, so don't worry." Ryota said, patting the blond's back and grinning widely, as if trying to reassure him; his demeanour changing almost as suddenly as the topic. Toru was embarrassed, but of course, he made no attempts to stop him, so they stayed that way for a few more seconds; the blond standing, staring at nothing in particular, while his friend patted his back endlessly, that goofy grin still present on his face.

They probably would have stayed like that for a little longer if it hadn't been for a couple of girls who tried to approach them, eyeing them carefully from a short distance. The girls looked familiar to the young men – probably students whom they'd seen sometimes in the hallways. One of the girls, sporting shoulder-length hair, could barely look in their direction for over two seconds, always averting her gaze and lowering her head shyly, while her friend with the bob cut was constantly pushing her towards the men.

"What's this?" Ryota muttered, just loud enough for his friend to catch him, their attention fixed on the pretty girls before them. "Another confession?"

The shy girl shook her head, anxious and frowning. "It's no use," she whined. "I can't do it..."

"You can!" the other girl hissed, nudging her forward with an elbow. "Go on, it won't be a problem at all."

It took a while for the girl to put aside her hesitation, but when she finally did, she moved a big step forward and took a long, deep breath. "Excuse me," she began, her voice sounding confident, yet shaky. "Um. Are you, in any way, associated with..."

There was a slight pause, as if the girl was still thinking of the right words to say, before she continued, "...Mori-san?"

Ryota gave a confused frown, while Toru understood perfectly, and he simply repeated the same words from before. "No, we're just. Acquaintances."

Immediately the girl heaved a sigh of relief, and, without uttering a word of gratitude, she quickly turned back to her friend, burying her red face in her hands.

Ryota furrowed his brows and scratched his head, perplexed. "What the hell was that about...?"

"See what I told you! There's nothing to worry about after all!" her friend cheered.

The girl from before flashed a grin, clutching her chest tightly. "I still have a chance with Taka-kun!"

Toru's ears perked up at the mention of the first name. _Taka-kun? -Kun?_ ...Was he close to this girl? And what did she mean by _chance?_

The blond's gaze followed them subconsciously as the two girls quickly walked off, giggling to themselves, disregarding the men's existence altogether.

"Ah..." Ryota nodded slowly and crossed his arms, smiling. "Looks like that kid has an admirer, huh..."

Toru immediately turned to look at his friend, wanting to object, but realised there wasn't really a need for him to...

Then, remembering that he had probably seen the girls somewhere before, he questioned, "D'ya know that girl?"

" _Ayaka-chan?_ Yeah, she's in my level," Ryota replied, grinning, and wriggling his brows playfully at the blond. "We call her A~chan, though. A total cutie, right? I see her talking to that kid all the time."

What? All the time? They were that close?

" _Ee ya na...,_ " Ryota sighed. "How nice it would be, to date the cutest girl in the level..."

Would it, really? Toru began to picture A~chan being with Taka, the both of them spending time together, doing romantic couple things together; they could go grab a drink at a fancy café, walk through the streets of Shinjuku and browse through couple tees, walk down the shore of a beach while holding hands, and when the sun was beginning to set, they could be sitting on the rocks by the ocean, staring at each other's loving gaze, and Taka would close his eyes, leaning in slowly towards the girl, the gap between their faces getting smaller, and thinner...

_No, no, no! That's not right! Taka-chan doesn't belong in that picture!_

The blond appeared calm and thoughtful on the outside, but a war was raging on in his head.

And of course Ryota wouldn't be fooled by that.

"Doushitan, Toru?" He tilted his head, as if that would help him see what was going through his friend's mind. "You haven't said anything for a while..."

Toru blinked several times, pulling himself back into reality. He gave a blank stare in Ryota's direction, after which the latter simply nodded, his lips curling slightly to show his teeth, flashing a cheeky grin. "Ah, I get it...," he said. "You think A~chan is cute, don't you? You like her, right?

"A young man falling in love with his best friend's friend, sounds like one of those soap operas...," he added, muttering to himself.

Then, he gave the blond an excited nudge in the arm. "I share a class with her, y'know! I can introduce you to her, if you want!"

The whole time Toru had been far too confused and shocked by his friend's words to present any reaction. There was no way he was falling for A~chan!

"No–" he began, but quickly stopped himself; wait, perhaps playing along and pretending to like A~chan wouldn't be a bad idea after all. Since she was already so close to Taka – if Ryota got him closer to A~chan, A~chan wouldn't suspect anything and would without a doubt introduce him to Taka, and then he could get closer to Taka, too...

But Ryota was still making speculations. "No?" he asked. "Ah, I know what you're thinking!"

Toru's heart skipped a beat. "You do?"

"You like Nocchi, don't you? The other girl?" Ryota's grin widened. "You're thinking of getting close to A~chan, so you can get closer to Nocchi, aren't you!?"

Not quite.

"You're a bastard, y'know that!" Ryota burst out in laughter, punching his friend hard on his arm, his other hand wiping a false tear off his face. "Well, if me helping you to be closer to A~chan would help, then it would be all right...

"But Nocchi is in your level, isn't she? So you'll be alone for this one." Ryota bowed apologetically. "Gomen, I can't get you any closer to her directly."

That was all right; he would have said the same thing too if they were talking about Taka, especially since they were in the same level as well.

Wait. Toru was beginning to realise something. Throughout this entire conversation, instead of either of the two extremely pretty girls that stood before them earlier, the only person Toru could ever think of was...

_Taka...?_

The realisation immediately caused the blond to choke on his own spit in the midst of his thinking, and the blond shut his eyes tight as he covered his mouth, hunching forward and clutching his chest as he felt himself getting tighter, his lungs begging for air.

"Oi, Toru, doushitan!?" Ryota panicked, flailing helplessly around the blond. "Di-did I say something wrong? Oi, hang in there!"

*********

A couple of hours passed after that, and the last classes of the day were finally coming to an end...

"...If you have any questions, please find me at the staff office before seven this evening. I should be free until then. Otherwise, you are dismissed..."

Following several other students, the blond quickly got to his feet and bolted right out the lecture theatre, walking briskly down the hallway, towards the exit of the school building. He found his friend Ryota standing by the side, his back leaning against the marble wall. It was tradition for the young men to wait for each other almost every single day after their last class; a routine they shared ever since elementary school, when they were still living in the same neighbourhood, although now that they were older and studying in college, it was barely a routine any more.

The two nodded at each other briefly, before proceeding to leave the campus together, making their way to the train station.

"How are you now?" Ryota asked out of concern, picking up his pace so he would catch up with the blond.

"Much better," Toru replied, thanking his friend, after which Ryota could only cock his head to the side, expecting something more.

"So...?"

Toru arched a brow. "So, what?"

"Just now at the infirmary," Ryota explained. "You said you had something to tell me?"

Ah, Toru remembered now; when he had choked on his own spit and wouldn't stop coughing violently, Ryota had rushed him to the infirmary, and he waited in there with him, until the nurse officially said he was fine to go back to class.

_'Why the sudden fit? Are you having the flu?'_

_'No, but...,' Toru remembered saying, shaking his head. 'Just wait for me after my class. I need to tell you something.'_

And now that Ryota had stayed back this whole time waiting for him, there was no way Toru could back out now; he had no choice but to tell him right then and there, even if he changed his mind in the last minute.

They reduced to walking at a pace slower than average, ignoring the large crowd of students that were quickly overtaking them by their sides. Silently, they walked; Ryota waiting for an answer, and the blond already lost deep in his thoughts.

"Oi," Toru called suddenly, catching his friend's attention. "...What does it mean when you can't stop thinking of someone?"

"Hah?" Ryota was appalled by the question - it wasn't typical of Toru to ask of such things - but he responded, nonetheless, "Well, when you can't stop thinking of someone, it's love, isn't it?"

Toru blinked. "Love?"

"Either love or hate, I suppose."

Toru went back to his thoughts; ever since that odd encounter with the two girls earlier that afternoon, he'd been unable to stop thinking of Taka, so much that he'd been sent to the infirmary because his mind was so preoccupied with him all the time. But, he was certain that the feelings he had towards the brunet wasn't hate; he'd forgiven the kid for breaking his precious charm not too long ago, anyway.

Besides, he enjoyed spending time with Taka last weekend, despite it resulting in an emotional mess...

What was this feeling he had towards Taka, then?

The two made a turn, walking down a slope, their steps getting slower and slower, as the blond drowned deeper and deeper in his thoughts, endlessly flooding his mind with unanswered questions. "It's funny," he wondered aloud. "Before everything happened, I didn't even know that person existed...

"And now, I see that person everywhere, and I can't stop thinking about them..."

"Are you still going on about those girls, Toru-nii-san?" Ryota butted in, puzzled by his friend's sudden and questionable behaviour. "You know, love is funny like that; you don't realise that that person is your soulmate, until something happens to trigger it."

Toru stopped in his tracks immediately, turning to the younger and serving him an unamused look. "What are you, _raburabu sensei?_ "

Ryota widened his eyes slightly, his cheeks flushing a pale hint of pink, before shrugging and averting his gaze elsewhere. "Y'know, I'm just sayin'..."

The blond rolled his eyes and disregarded him, resuming their walk, and Ryota quickly went back to the previous subject. "A-anyway, if you need help getting close to those girls, maybe I can help." He flashed a grin. "If it's love, you're meant to be!"

"So, like fate?" Toru questioned, and Ryota nodded.

"But if you think about it," he said. "You wouldn't have found your soulmate if not for that kid, right?" Receiving no response from Toru, he continued, "That Taka kid broke your charm, and you two ended up hanging out during the weekend, which led A~chan to approach you with her friend, and now you've fallen for her!

"It's all thanks to that kid!"

 _Hah._ "Yeah, all thanks to him," Toru agreed. "But not exactly."

Ryota frowned, surprised that he had speculated incorrectly. "What do you mean?"

"It doesn't have to be _that_ complicated," Toru explained. "I fell for the one who started it all."

A chill lingered in the atmosphere as they paused in their path, standing behind a crowd as they waited patiently for the heavy traffic to slow down and the lights to change, to signal that it was fine to cross the road. Although they were right in the middle of town where noise was inevitable, no one could deny the disturbing silence that hung between the two young men, as they stood staring at each other, awaiting response. Toru only stared blankly at his friend, who stared back at him, his mouth slightly agape, but his mind going into frenzy as he mentally recalled the words from the blond and tried to register their meaning, piecing all the information together.

Toru couldn't stop thinking about someone. Toru didn't know this someone even existed until something happened between them. He thought Toru was referring to the girls. The girls approached him because of Taka. Taka was the reason for their encounter with the girls. Toru fell for the person who triggered their encounter.

"Eh...?" Ryota managed, his voice now reduced to a little louder than a whisper. "Toru, you don't mean...?"

"Yeah," the other said. "I think I've fallen for Taka."


	8. Chapter 8

"Haaahh– it was that kid all along!?" Ryota cried, staring at his friend in disbelief with wide eyes. How did he end up being so long-winded and speculated that Toru had fallen for Nocchi instead?

"Keep your voice down," Toru hissed, glaring at the other. "Besides, I'm not that confident of my feelings... yet."

"Yet?"

"It's like you said," Toru explained. "I can't stop thinking about him, so it must be love, right?"

Ryota couldn't deny that fact; considering the closeness between Toru and Taka now, there was no way it could be hate.

"But, how can I be sure that what I'm feeling right now is love?" Toru questioned out loud. "We've only just met, and I barely know anything about him. I don't know him enough to even have such feelings for him, and yet... what _is_ this feeling?"

Throughout the blond's ramblings, all his friend could do was simply watch him from behind, listening to him intently, keeping his own thoughts to himself. It wasn't until the blond's words came to a stop, when Ryota finally looked him in the eye... and burst out laughing.

Toru twitched, offended. "What are you laughing at?"

Ryota's laughter trailed off to a small snicker as he wiped a false tear off his face. "Y'know, the other day, we all thought Taka-san was confessing to you, but now it seems like the tables have turned."

Toru blinked, the only response he managed towards his friend. Whatever he'd said just moments ago, it was a confession?

"But this is a good thing, isn't it, Toru-nii-san?" Ryota continued, beaming widely at his friend. "You've never felt this way before, right?"

Well, that was true; since as long as the blond could remember, he'd been blessed with the gift to attract a huge bunch of admirers - so huge that he'd even lost count - but Toru had never once returned any of their feelings. He couldn't even if he tried. He just didn't have that sort of attraction towards anyone. He didn't see the need to be intimate towards anyone, be it emotionally or even physically.

So, what _was_ this feeling?

"I'm glad those feelings are finally able to show themselves," Ryota added, his tone sounding somewhat motherly, and Toru could only respond with a frown. _What was that supposed to mean?_

It didn't take long before the two finally reached the train station. Passing through the gantry, the both of them prepared to give a quick goodbye before parting their ways, having to take different trains.

"Anyway, don't worry too much about it. I'll cheer you on until the end, okay?" Ryota assured him, patting him on the back and flashing a grin. "Just... be careful, and don't do anything stupid."

And with those words the younger immediately waved goodbye and left, leaving the blond standing alone, watching him, feeling even more confused than before. What the fuck...

Quickly brushing his doubts aside, Toru began to walk the stairs down to his platform. There was a minute until the train would arrive, so he still had some time to think seriously about himself; to think seriously about his feelings for Taka.

It would be better to get to know him first, he thought to himself, and vice versa. It would be safer to establish a proper relationship before confirming his feelings. Surely it wasn't normal for a person to fall for someone they'd just met and barely knew!

But... Toru thought about his admirers from the past; he'd barely talked or even noticed nearly half of them, and yet they were still confident of their feelings and were bold enough to let him know. Despite not even knowing him personally, they had the cheek to ask him to accept their feelings.

Was Toru standing in that same situation right now?

The blond shook his head, realising how ridiculous that must have sounded. _It's not normal,_ he thought. _It's not normal to fall for someone so easily._ Relationships that started out like that did not harbour any genuine feelings, and the couples wouldn't even last for a month.

For now, Toru decided, the feelings he had for Taka, he would try to ignore.

For now, the feelings didn't mean anything; they were just temporary.

The train soon arrived at the platform, silent, but quick; Toru twitched when the wind from the fast-moving train had blown his hair, causing it to fall in a mess across his face. Flicking his hair back and fixing it back into place, Toru waited for the passengers on board to alight, before stepping into the car, making his way to stand in the centre of the vehicle, as usual.

As the train remained stationary, waiting for any passengers who might run on board in the last minute, Toru fished out his earpiece, examining it carefully as he tried to untangle the mess, to prepare for his journey back home. It didn't take long; soon enough the warning for the closing doors was played through the speakers, and as the beeping noises played while the doors were about to close for good, a sudden, child-like voice from outside caught everyone's attention, causing even the most preoccupied to look up from their phone screen–

"Wait, wait for me! Don't close yet!" the voice begged constantly, as if the doors could actually hear him. "Wait!"

The person got closer and the voice got louder, ringing through the passengers' ears, ringing through Toru's. The high, melodious voice danced around in his head, tugging at his heartstrings, enticing him with every syllable; Toru widened his eyes, swallowing a gasp, feeling his heart racing. He recognised that voice; _it can't be...!_

The doors were just inches apart, but the owner of that voice made it just in time – with his petite figure, he slid carelessly though, struggling slightly as he tried to squeeze in a backpack that was three times the size of his head along with him.

Toru's gaze remained fixated on the figure, wide in disbelief, and he felt like hyperventilating; that leather jacket, that Burberry scarf, and that giant backpack... There was no doubt...!

It was Taka...!

Toru hiccupped; he knew they took the same train to go home, but he'd never expected to bump into him like this! Toru seemed to keep his cool, but inside he was a nervous wreck; what should he do? Should he pretend not to see him and wait for Taka to notice him? Or should he just walk up to him and strike up a conversation? Maybe he should start by how huge his backpack was first–

"Hey, look what you've done!"

Everyone turned in the direction of the other voice, but their attention was focused on the staggering young figure, trying to keep his balance as the train began to move, but on the floor lay what seemed to be a large figure keychain, surrounded by its smaller counterparts, obviously broken beyond repair.

Hey, this situation seemed familiar...

Immediately Taka turned to face a tall, nearly overweight man, who only looked down at him, frowning and unamused. Shivering, the smaller one immediately reduced to a bow, almost as if it was a reflex action, and mustered all his courage to voice out, "I– I'm terribly sorry!"

"Do you have any idea how rare this is!?" the man bellowed, towering over the young man, his face distorted into a look of disgust at the mere sight of him. "You're going to have to pay for this, kid!"

With the other passengers simply standing by and staring at them, Taka felt cornered, but proceeded to bow even lower. "I'm sorry! I really am! I didn't mean to!"

"You think that lame apology is enough to make up for this, punk? Kuso kurae!" The man took a step closer towards the brunet, cracking his knuckles, his gaze never once leaving the young man.

 _Oi, this dude isn't even muscular..._ Toru judged silently, watching as the big guy continued to harrass Taka; he seemed to put on a tough front, but his threats were just empty venom spewing out of his mouth. So why was Taka so terrified? How could he not see through this poser!?

Noticing how the other passengers simply went back to their devices, or continued watching without lending a hand,Toru rolled his eyes; so much for being a friendly society. He was getting tired of seeing the brunet shudder in fear and apologise constantly– no, he couldn't _stand_ seeing the brunet being threatened by someone who was worth no better than him. That guy had the damn nerve to pick on Taka, he thought, as he took a step forward...

"Watch your mouth!" he warned, stepping in on the commotion, standing with his back facing Taka, as if trying to shield him from the gangster wannabe.

Taka nearly choked on his spit. "To-Toru...!?"

"It was just an accident. He really didn't mean to," Toru explained sternly, sending a cold, piercing gaze straight at the man. It was rather difficult to keep a cool front, especially when he was facing someone nearly as tall as him, but Toru wasn't one to falter so easily.

"Look, this kid is just on his way home from college," Toru continued, gesturing to Taka's humongous gear. "If you haven't noticed yet, this kid could either make or break your future, especially with a backpack like that."

Very swiftly, the blond got to his knees to pick up a handful of the broken keychain pieces, before holding them high up for everyone to see. "...Huh, this looks like any typical keychain you can find at a souvenir store." Toru arched a brow, mocking the large man. "These things are overpriced, and they sure as hell ain't rare."

The stranger said nothing, merely twitching and glaring at the young men, as the rest of the passengers stood still, watching them, waiting for a response. Safe for a couple of gasps in the crowd, everyone else remained silent.

"I– I'm really sorry about what happened!" Taka blurted out suddenly, once more giving his signature bow. "I promise to pay you back in full price, so please forgive me!"

Toru frowned in disgust. Was this kid fucking serious!?

But the man simply scoffed; obviously feeling humiliated, he rolled his eyes and moved closer to the doors, noticing how close they were getting to the next station. "...Whatever," he grunted. "Don't bother me any more. I got that from a friend, anyway!"

As the train slowed down and came to a smooth stop at the station, the man made a final turn to Toru, meeting his glare with his very own. "You can keep that!" he said, and he stomped off the moment the doors opened, his large figure surprisingly being overwhelmed and getting lost in the sea of people who were struggling to board the train. The new passengers were oblivious, of course, not knowing what had just happened moments earlier, but the passengers who stayed quickly retreated back to their own entertainment, now that the drama was over.

As the crowds poured in, Toru had no choice but to move in further, making space to allow more passengers to board the vehicle. He shifted and shuffled, trying to make as much space as possible while keeping his balance – but with the crowd constantly pushing and shoving to squeeze into the vehicle, it was proving difficult for anyone to stay in his place.

And the blond was no exception. He struggled to remain in his spot, right in the dead centre of the car, as people continued to push; and he lost his footing when another idiot with a humongous backpack bumped into him. He stumbled, not much for anyone to notice, but enough to bump into the brunet beside him, feeling their fingers brush against each other–

Shit. Toru gulped. Oh my god. He just touched Taka. Did he just touch Taka? He just felt his fingers. He just touched Taka...!

Okay, Taka had hugged him when he had that emotional breakdown last weekend, but this was... different? Toru couldn't explain, but when he felt his skin brush against Taka's, his face heated up almost instantly, his heart skipping a beat, his guts doing jumping jacks.

Panic ensued. What should he do? Should he apologise? Or should he leave it be and pretend that nothing happened? Perhaps he should see how the other reacted, before taking action...? Toru tried to make a discreet turn in his gaze, shifting it over to Taka..

. ...only to find the brunet staring back at him.

Fuck.

 _Okay, relax, all you need to do is apologise._ Toru took a deep breath, reeling up as much courage as he could, before he opened his mouth to speak. "Ta–"

"Toru, thank you so much!" the elder saluted, cutting the blond before he could even finish saying his name. Toru blinked, his mouth slightly agape, not having been able to speak, as the other continued, "I really thought I was done for back there! I could almost see myself begging for food and money by the streets!

"You really saved my life..."

A small smile forming on his guileless face, he bowed as much as the limited space allowed him to."Thank you so much!"

Toru simply watched him from his height, his face plain and expressionless, but really, he'd already lost track of his feelings. "...It's all right. Just take care of yourself," he managed to say, nodding towards the elder's backpack. "That _thing_ is giving you more problems than it should."

"It's no big deal!" Taka laughed, returning to his standard posture.

" _No big deal!?_ " Toru twitched. "Idiot, that man tried to con you!"

But Taka merely returned his scolding with a warm smile. "If that's the case, then I'm glad you're here with me," he said, ever so innocently, his lips raising to bear the most childish grin, his eyes sparkling as if they were the brightest gems in this gloomy vehicle.

The poor brunet had no idea what he was doing to Toru; it felt like something had flipped his guts entirely, like his feelings were a circus. _What was this feeling!?_

And what did Taka mean by that? Toru gulped; the feelings from before were coming back... _Ignore them. Ignore them!_

Oblivious to the blond having a personal war with his emotions, Taka continued rambling, suddenly coming to the topic of places to live. "Toru," he called. "Where do you come from?"

Eh? Taka wanted to know more about him? _This is good,_ Toru noted. This was exactly what he wanted. It was small, but they were making significant progress in getting closer. Trying as best as he could to regain his cool composure, Toru replied, "Osaka."

"Ah– that's so cool!" Taka responded excitedly. "I've always wanted to go there!"

Toru frowned. "Why would you? There's nothing there."

Taka continued to laugh, but made no attempt to mask his embarrassment as he spoke. "Well, I never leave my neighbourhood, so...!"

Toru couldn't be more appalled. _What is this guy, himono-otoko!?_

But the other continued to speak, although moreso to himself, "I wonder what Toru's house looks like..."

Toru froze. Why? _Does this guy have any idea what he's saying!?_

Flustered, the younger spoke, trying not to notice the shakiness in his voice. "Uh, you can. Y'know. Come to my apartment."

Taka blinked. "Maji de? I can really come and visit?"

"Any time." The other nodded. "Although, there's nothing much there except for my guitars..."

"Guitars?" Taka's eyes twinkled once more. "Toru, you play the guitar?" He then began to nudge the blond playfully, tickling his side with his elbow. "Ne, you _have_ to show me your skills sometime, okay?"

Toru couldn't ignore the heat gradually creeping up his cheeks. Taka was acting like one of those girls who tried to flirt with him... And as annoying as those girls were, when Taka was doing it, Toru felt...

...Aroused.

_Was this normal!?_

Quickly paying no mind to the blood that rushed up his _two heads_ , he quickly replied, "S-Sure." He didn't know how to respond any better, but he would sincerely love to show his skills off to Taka. He didn't deny being quite talented with the guitar. Besides, this was his chance to impress him!

"All right!" Taka cheered, elated. "Then let's go tomorrow! Is tomorrow okay?"

 _That was fast..._ Toru recalled his schedule; he had his afternoon free the following day, but he wasn't sure about Taka...

"All right, whoever's the earlier one has to wait at the train station, okay?" Taka suggested, as if he'd just read Toru's mind. Then, he fumbled around, tucking his hands into the pockets of his trousers, as if searching for something. "In fact, let's exchange numbers, so it's easier for us to keep in contact tomorrow...!"

Toru was on the verge of screaming. How did it all lead to this!? Now they were exchanging numbers, and Taka would be coming to his apartment tomorrow...!?

The elder beamed, finally fishing his cell phone out. "Toru, take yours out too."

Toru nodded, and took his own device easily out from his own pocket. Going to the contacts section, the both of them exchanged their phones and dialed in their own numbers, before exchanging back to save them. Toru couldn't help feeling curious to see what Taka would save his name as; Toru-san? Toru-kun? Or just Toru, like he called him?

Toru arched his neck, trying to peer over the shorter's phone, to steal a quick glance to see what he had his name saved as – only to find Taka doing the exact same to him.

Their eyes meeting for a brief moment, Toru froze, feeling his heart skip a beat; but before he could do or say anything, the other had quickly turned away, laughing nervously. "I just noticed you typed my name as 'Taka-chan', so..,"

Confused, Toru turned back to his phone; it was true. Somehow he had subconsciously typed 'Taka-chan' in his contacts. "Do... you have a problem with that?" he questioned carefully, trying to pull it off as intentional.

"No, not really...," Taka said. Toru arched a brow, watching as the brunet raised a hand to scratch the back of his neck, expecting him to continue. "It's just, no one has ever called me that before..."

If his guts were explosives, they would be exploding like firecrackers. Nothing could compare to Toru's happiness right now. Not even A~chan had called him that, hah!

"But, somehow...," Taka continued, lowering his head sheepishly. Toru didn't fail to notice how the elder was so obviously avoiding his gaze. "...Because it's you, Toru, I kinda like it..."

And Toru's guts would have been fireworks by now.

"Then..." Taka began typing on his phone, and Toru peered over, only to see his name 'Toru' on the screen.

"What, only 'Toru'?"

"Neither 'Toru-chan' nor 'Toru-kun' suit you, so this was the closest!" the other explained quickly, embarrassed. And Toru could only watch with the corners of his lips raising, while the brunet quickly struggled to keep his phone away.

*********

Time passed quickly for the anxious blond. Before he knew it, he was back in college the following day, having to drag through hours worth of lectures. Sitting in his usual seat in the corner, he pretended to listen, his gaze only following his lecturers as they paced around at the front of the theatres, but his mind was somewhere else. He felt his insides heating up as he thought of how special the day was going to be; he still couldn't believe it himself.

Today was the day Taka would come over to his apartment!

His excitement was kept bottled up, even when he'd met Ryota during their break. Seated at the smoking area, Toru's mind was unraveling elsewhere, his ears only picking up certain things his best friend was saying about black eggs that could increase one's lifespan by seven years.

"Oi, Toru-nii-san, are you listening to me?" Toru blinked, turning back to his friend, who only rolled his eyes. " _As I was saying,_ " Ryota scoffed. "I managed to talk a bit to A~chan during class today. I thought she could bring you closer to Taka-san."

"Oh. You don't have to do that."

"Eh?" Ryota tilted his head.

Toru hesitated, staring at his friend, who only stared back at him, waiting for an explanation. Then, with a sigh, Toru averted his gaze and said, "He's coming over today. My apartment–"

"Eeeehh–!?" Ryota shrieked, his dyed tresses bouncing as he excitedly got to his feet, slamming his hands on the stone table in the process. "Nandeyanen! How did this happen–" A hurried shush escaped the other's lips, and the young man stopped, noticing a couple of students walking into the area. He calmed himself down and took his seat, clearing his throat while waiting for the couple to walk past and leave, before starting again, punching the other lightly on his arm, all the while beaming widely. "I can't believe you were making progress behind my back!" he teased. "But how?"

Toru shrugged, failing to wipe the proud smile off his face. "I guess, going home the same way has its advantages."

"Good for you!" Ryota cheered. "Ah, but don't do anything foolish, okay? I know you two are going to be alone together, so..."

The younger received a hard smack on his head. "How about you?" Toru taunted. "Isn't it about time _you_ find someone for yourself, too?"

"I already have!" the other exclaimed.

Toru froze. _What?_ "Whoa, since when?"

Upon realising what he'd just said, Ryota's eyes immediately widened, and he shook his head frantically. "No, no! I simply said that out of impulse, hahahahahahah!" With a quick wave of his hand, he continued, "Anyway, that noodles store that just opened nearby looks good, ne? Have you been there? I heard their soba noodles are pretty great..."

Toru only stared as his friend continued rambling; he didn't need to be a rocket scientist to realise how painfully forced that laughter had been. Or how eager he was to change the subject...

*********

The long afternoon hours crawled past, the final lectures of the day finally coming to an end. Toru hunched forward in his seat, tapping his pen repeatedly against the desk, as he counted down to the last second, anticipating their dismissal. And when they were finally allowed to leave, it was no surprise that Toru was also one of the first to dash out of the theatre.

While walking briskly down the hallway, he took his phone out, thinking it should be a good idea to text Taka at that moment; _'I'm on my way to the station~ Are you waiting for me?'_

Knowing Ryota had already gone home without him, Toru walked on, proceeding straight to the station. Taka hadn't texted back, but he could probably still be in lecture and was held back or something. But Toru didn't mind that; he could just wait for him by the station as planned, no big deal.

He reached the building in no time, and, slamming past the gantry, he quickly ran down the stairs to their platform, subconsciously grinning to himself. Where should he wait? Right before the stairs, so Taka could see him? Wait, but then all the passegers would bump into him...

"Taka-kun! I'm glad you're here!" Toru stopped, his foot nearly touching the last step. What was that annoying high-pitched sound? _Taka-kun?_ Was it the Taka he knew?

The blond looked up, only to see from afar a petite figure with a bulky backpack, his curls dancing around as he moved. Toru's face softened. There was no mistake; it was definitely Taka–

But. There was another person with him. A girl. Standing before him, she was much smaller than the brunet. Her long, wavy dark hair swaying with her every move; her smooth, flawless skin glowing against the limited sunlight that seeped through into the platform...

Toru couldn't believe his eyes; that was... A~chan?

But what was A~chan doing there? And why was she talking to him? Toru noticed how they were both smiling at each other, laughing together; Taka looked so happy...

Was this the reason why Taka didn't reply his text? Because he was busy talking to this... _this flirt?_

Even the way she stood seemed suggestive; her legs crossed slightly, exhibiting a feminine approach. The way she had her arm crossed and clutching her chest, as if trying to bring out her assets. The way her other hand nudged at Taka, tugging at his arm playfully...

She was definitely flirting! And Taka's face was so red; his hand rubbing the back of his neck, his head lowered as he laughed nervously... It seemed as though he liked it.

No way. Toru shook his head. _No way..._

_No way!_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed my mind and have decided to type out the notes at the end of every chapter. To avoid spoilers. Whoops.  
> This chapter was by far the hardest to write. Perhaps because my planning was very vague...  
> Also the longest chapter I've ever written for this series! Over 4000 words! I'm really sorry if I wasted your time ; ;  
> Also want to apologise for how bad this chapter was written. Life likes to get in the way sometimes.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you all for supporting me until this far, and I hope you will continue to support me!


	9. Chapter 9

Slamming his course notes hard against the stone table, his dyed tresses flying from the impact, Ryota yelled at his friend with a voice almost loud enough for the whole campus to hear. "What the hell were you thinking!?"

The loud 'thud!' from the notes had caused the blond to flinch in his seat, not expecting his friend to react in such an aggressive manner. He wanted to cower in fear and retreat, but there was no escape from Ryota. "How could you leave him like that!?" he continued. "He must have waited a long time for you!"

"If he could ignore my text because of a girl, he could have easily gone off without me," Toru scoffed quickly in his defense, trying to put up a tough front to counter his friend's.

"Don't lie to me," Ryota sneered. "I may not know him as well as you do, but I know him enough to assure you that he isn't like that at all. Didn't he text or call you after that?"

Almost instinctively, Toru tightened his grip on his phone. _He did._ In fact, the blond hadn't gotten any sleep last night, because he was constantly being spammed by countless texts and missed calls. He didn't have to look at them to know that they were all from the same person; but if he couldn't even answer him virtually, he would never be able to face him properly in real life.

Taka was probably mad at him... but he was mad at Taka too!

Ryota sighed, finally settling down and running his fingers through his hair. "As your best friend... the best advice I can give you now is to walk up to him and apologise," he said solemnly. Toru didn't respond; he knew that that was the best thing he could do for now, but...

"Hey, in case you forgot, he went all the way just to get that charm for you," Ryota added, scratching the back of his head, eyeing the cross charm that hung ever so freely from Toru's backpack. "I was just thinking... even if an apology is the only thing you can manage, you should at least make 'im feel appreciated, y'know? Like, acknowledge his efforts, and stuff..."

The lecture would have gone on if they hadn't been interrupted by a group of rowdy students that had suddenly shown up, one of them yelling at the top of his lungs. The two friends turned to look, and Toru immediately widened his eyes; from his seat, he could already see Taka amongst the group of young men, panting, as if he'd been running rounds around the campus; his curls bouncing with every breath he took.

And the brunet was the last person he wanted to see.

Taka had on his face an expression of anger, while his friends only exchanged looks of fatigue and confusion, the same expressions both Toru and Ryota had.

"Baaaaa–ka!" Taka scolded, surprising the others. He began stomping down the path towards the two friends.

Ryota quickly grabbed his course notes and stood up. "I don't have anything to do with this!" he exclaimed, and quickly ran to the other students.

Toru was beginning to panic. _Wait. Don't leave me alone!_

The group barely made it out of the scene, pushing and urging one another to hurry up and leave, to hide behind the walls of the school building. Ignoring their existence completely, Taka confronted the blond, "Oi, baka! Listen to me!"

Toru gulped. Just two days before, this kid was bowing and apologising profusely to a stranger, but now...

"Where did you run off to yesterday!?" Taka bellowed, slamming his palm onto the table, causing the blond to flinch once more.

"I...," he managed, but Taka wouldn't let him finish.

"I sent you texts and calls all night, but you never replied to a single one. Did you even look at them!?"

Toru admitted that he had paid no attention to them, but dared not say that. "I waited so long for you!" Taka continued. "Gosh, I don't even know– I even went all the way back to school because I thought you were held back or something!"

Now Toru was starting to feel guilty. The truth was that he'd run off somewhere after seeing Taka and A~chan being so close together, but... Taka went all the way back, just to look for him?

"You..." Taka's voice got lower, softer. "Do you have any idea how _worried_ I was?"

Toru pursed his lips together, bracing himself for another scolding, clenching his fists for when–

Wait. What?

Taka was...

_Worried?_

_But why?_

By this time, Taka had calmed down, his tone now reduced to a shaky mess as he struggled to pour his feelings out, with a voice no louder than a whisper. "I was so worried... I thought, something had happened to you...," Taka muttered. "When I received no reply or calls from you, I really thought something bad had happened...

"And I was so mad... Mad at myself, for being so preoccupied; mad at myself, for not having replied sooner; mad at myself, for suggesting to wait at the station, instead of here..."

Taka sighed, clutching his ends of his sleeves tightly. "I wanted to call out to you, but I didn't know how... I didn't know anyone else who could contact you, and I felt so mad at myself..."

But his clutch got weaker, his dainty fingers letting go of the now wrinkled fabric; and the look on his face got softer, his teary eyes getting wider, while the edges of his lips raised to form a small, warm smile. "But now that you're here, now that I know you're fine... I can barely stay mad any more."

Taking a seat before the blond on the bench, Taka clasped his hands together. "Gomen ne, Toru, for raising my voice at you."

Toru could only remain frozen in his seat, staring at the brunet, speechless. He was still trying to register what had happened just moments earlier, replaying them in his head. Being yelled at by Taka, only to learn that he'd been concerned about him all along, and now he was apologising to him... _what?_

"Uh...," was all he could manage in his confused state, and Taka only let out a nervous laugh.

"I'm sorry," he said. "That must have been a bit too quick, ne?"

"No, not at all–" Toru replied quickly, flustered. He wanted to clear any misunderstandings between them too. "Actually, I also want to apologise..." He paused for a moment, his mind trailing off to recall the events from the previous day, before laughing quietly to himself. "Never mind."

"Wait, what is it?" Taka questioned, arching his brows. "I won't laugh, I promise."

"Well..." _If that's what the kid wants..._ "It's just that, I saw you all alone with A~chan, that's why..." Feeling heatwaves of embarrassment quickly rushing up his coutenance, he quickly lowered his head. "...That's why I never showed up. Sorry for making you wait..."

Taka laughed; he ran away because of A~chan? What the hell was that?

"Not at all," he replied, smiling. "I only waited for five hours and forty-seven minutes."

"Then, can we make up for it today?" Toru asked, looking at the brunet cautiously.

"Sure, but I'll only wait for three hours and thirty-two minutes."

And, for the first time in what felt like forever, the both laughed in unison.

Meanwhile, the group of students - including Ryota - had their heads poked out from behind the wall, watching the two young men from afar. Their mouths agape, engrossed in trying to eavesdrop on their conversation, as they constantly shoved one another aside, fighting for space, fighting to get the most information.

_"What are they talking about?"; "Do you think they made up?"_

Ryota was just as curious, but dared not say anything. After all, he was the youngest here; one wrong move, no matter how small, could lead him to being hated by the entire student body.

Eventually he pushed himself out of that confined space, stretching his arms and taking a much needed breath. _Whatever._ He could just ask Toru what happened later. He was still cracking the knuckles on his hands when he was approached by one of the seniors; a man who looked way too young for his age - even younger than him - he sported messy, black tresses, almost as if he'd just gotten up from bed. The twinkle in his eyes made him seem warm and nice; Ryota felt his posture relax the moment he brought his gaze upon him.

"You're Toru-san's friend, right?" the young man asked, before giving a small bow. "I'm Tomoya."

"You can just call me Ryota!" the other said, returning the kind gesture. "Then, you must be a friend of Taka-san?"

Tomoya nodded; his gaze turned back to Toru and Taka, and he nodded towards them. "What do you think about them?"

"Hah?" Ryota responded in surprise, not really expecting such a straightforward answer from someone he'd just met. "Well... they look good together."

"You think so too, huh."

Ryota frowned, tilting his head in confusion. "What do you think?" But Tomoya simply shrugged.

"I thought Mori-chan looked good with A~chan."

Ryota blinked. _So, he's rooting for Taka-san and A~chan to be together?_

The other continued to speak, as if trying to explain, "A~chan is nice and cares genuinely for Mori-chan, unlike that Toru guy, who made him wait for hours alone at the train station."

Ryota opened his mouth, but not a word came out to defend his friend. He couldn't deny the fact that Toru _did_ leave him waiting there on purpose, but...

"A~chan is really cute too," Tomoya added. "She'd make Mori-chan look like a strong, reliable man. But with Toru-san, he'd end up looking like the girl in the relationship."

With a disappointed sigh, Tomoya slouched, tucking his hands into his pockets. "I feel sorry for A~chan; she's trying so hard to chase Mori-chan, but then that guy has to come along..."

Ryota blinked, hiding his hands as well. _So, A~chan had feelings for Taka..._ It wasn't like he was surprised to learn this at all, but he was rooting for Toru, too...

The awkward moment was interrupted when Taka's high voice rang down the hallway. "Sorry to keep you waiting!" he called, running over to his friends. Tomoya quickly joined the others and ran to him, hitting him hard on the back, laughing together as the whole group began throwing jokes at the brunet.

Ryota was left standing there, watching them, still dazed and upset with the other's words. How does calling him 'Mori-chan' make him any manlier, then!?

Taka and his friends gave a quick wave to him before walking down the hallway, still laughing at the top of their lungs, just like they'd been when Ryota saw them for the first time.

Still confused, Ryota turned to walk back to Toru, who remained seated on the bench, his gaze trailing Taka until the group walked out of sight. As he got nearer, Ryota didn't fail to notice the calm and serene expression on his friend's face; a faint, but genuine smile, that only seemed to be getting clearer and wider with every step he took.

Since their childhood days, it was the first time Ryota had seen him like that. Toru looked so content, a radiant glow seemed to surround him, as if shining in his felicity. _So Taka-san does these things to him..._

"Toru," Ryota called. "How did it go?"

Toru shrugged and got to his feet. Not a second did that smile leave his face. "Better than expected," he replied. "Let's go grab a small bite before my class starts."

He walked past Ryota, not even once suspecting what was going through his friend's mind the entire time. Ryota only followed behind, his thoughts unravelling as he struggled to make sense of Toru's feelings.

It was only with Taka, that Toru was able to show his true feelings.

Only Taka could make him this happy.

Couldn't Tomoya see that!?

*********

After a quick meal that consisted only of tea and cheap bread, Ryota found himself sitting back in his lecture theatre, browsing through his course notes. The other students were chatting among themselves, flipping through theirs; just like him, they were all killing time while they waited for their lecturer.

Ryota rested his chin on a loosely-closed fist, speed-reading through his notes, trying to recall what they had covered in their previous lecture. _Boring...,_ he thought, looking through the same paragraph for the umpteenth time. He paid no mind when someone came to take the seat right next to him, as per the norm.

 _Wait..._ But there was something different about this person today... Ryota took a couple of subtle sniffs. Was this... _perfume?_

"Ne, Ryota-kun?" a girl's high-pitched voice struck him by surprise, and Ryota jumped in his seat. Looking up from his notes, he turned to his side, only to meet eyes with the voice's owner, a girl with her long, wavy hair; her thin lips; and her hazel eyes... This looked like...

"A~chan!?" Ryota gasped, widening his eyes. Why was the cutest girl in the level sitting right next to him, of all people? Ryota only stared at her, hardly believing his eyes, oblivious to another girl seated right behind him, passing a double thumbs-up gesture and a smirk in A~chan's direction.

"Ryota-kun," the girl called again, now leaning forward in her seat. "Do you always sit alone?"

The young man was beyond confused. "Uh...," he wasn't sure how to respond. He had a friend to talk to every once in a while during lectures, but he didn't really mind being alone, either...

Wait, what was with that ' _Ryota-kun_ '?

"Then, it shouldn't be a problem if I sit with you today, right?" she questioned, her smile still plastered on her face.

"N-not really, I guess...," Ryota muttered. Well, he didn't have a solid reason to refuse her, either...

A~chan rested her palms on the table, before stretching back. Yawning, she quickly brought a hand to cover her mouth, showing off her baby pink nails that only glistened under the dim light of the theatre. The girl had charm.

"Don't you feel tired, Ryota-kun? We've had lectures all morning, and now I'm in no mood for any more..."

Ryota made no response, watching the girl before him. He could already feel several students looking their way, eyeing their every move, gossiping about them.

Not wanting to make the situation any more awkward than it already was, Ryota decided to turn back to his notes – only to freeze when he felt the girl wrapping her arm around his. She leaned in closer to him, making no hesitation to rest her head gently on his shoulder. "Let me rest for a while before the lecturer comes in~" she hummed in a tone that no man could refuse.

At this, Ryota widened his eyes, staring down at A~chan, genuinely mortified. A~chan was so cute and her touch felt so warm and welcoming, there was almost nothing he could do to brush her off...

...But it wasn't right for him to be so close to her either. Gently pushing himself away from her, Ryota spoke, his conscience doing the speaking now, his tone shaky and irregular. "Wait, don't do this– I'm already seeing someone–"

But A~chan paid those words no mind, only tightening her grip around the man. "Let me stay here for a while longer, Ryota-kun," she merely replied, clearly feigning ignorance to the other students who were still staring at them.

Ryota could only gulp, feeling trapped under everyone's watchful gaze, knowing full well that A~chan had him wrapped around her little finger.

Why was this happening? Did A~chan misinterpret his attempts for a friendly conversation previously? Did A~chan get the wrong idea? Was she seriously showing interest in him!?

What the hell was going on...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Swear to god I didn't mean to make that Perfume reference.  
> Not much happening in this chapter, but vital to the plot at least. I'm terribly sorry. ; ; Also I think Tomo's old-fashioned ideals sounds super weird, but maybe that's a problem with my translation...  
> What do you think A~chan is doing~~ pffft
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this short, uneventful chapter. //places an "I tried" sticker on this orz  
> Thank you so much to those who have been supporting me! I love you guys and I don't know what I'd do without you. I hope you'll continue to support me! ; o ;


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to start being consistent with where I place these notes, damn it. Placing this here to avoid confusion while you're reading this chapter:  
> "Chau" is "chigau" in Ryota's and Toru's dialect.  
> Toru's apartment is a 1 room apartment style! If you're unfamiliar with this style, basically it's just an apartment with no rooms, except for the washroom. Which means the living room, bedroom/study area, and kitchen are all combined and in the same room. But trust me, it's bigger than you think.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! ; ;

The two walked quickly down the cement path, quiet, but in their minds they were screaming with glee. Bumping into anything that came their way, the soles of their shoes stepping on any twigs and leaves lying helplessly on the ground, neither of them could care less. Stealing glances at each other every now and again with their lips curled slightly, they walked on in silence, allowing the sounds of their public surroundings to overwhelm them.

But nothing could be more overwhelming than the happiness they felt.

Toru could barely contain his excitement. Here he was with Taka, walking to the train station together, on their way to his apartment. _His apartment!_ With butterflies in his stomach, he thought about what Ryota had said just the day before, _'Don't do anything foolish, okay? I know you two are going to be alone together, so...'_

Toru shook his head mentally; no, no! _What the hell was he thinking!?_ When they arrive at his apartment, Toru was going to impress Taka with his guitar skills, and then they were going to order pizza together. If time permits, they could watch a movie together, and then at night...

–wait, no, his thoughts were going down the wrong path again!

Slapping himself mentally, the blond's thoughts were thankfully interrupted by Taka, trying to make a small attempt at starting a conversation, "Toru, do you live alone?"

Toru kept silent for a while, feeling a bit uneasy by the triggering question, but replied nevertheless, "...Yeah." With a short pause, he quickly added, "And you?"

"I live alone too," the other replied. "In an apartment."

 _Oh?_ Toru arched a brow in curiosity; he wasn't expecting someone like Taka to live alone. He wanted to question further, but as he observed how the brunet said nothing afterwards, Toru got the hint and kept his mouth shut. So, it was a trigger for him too. Just like Toru, Taka had his reasons to live alone...

At the speed they were going, the two finally reached the station, and their smiles got significantly wider. They took out their wallets, preparing to pay the fare before passing through the gantry; Toru's apartment seemed so close at this point, almost as if it was just within their reach.

Right as they were about to make payment, a loud song began blasting, the sounds and melodies echoing through the walls and pillars of the station. Toru stopped in his tracks, followed by Taka, and the latter watched as the blond reached into his pocket for his cell phone.

Toru's eyes widened at the caller ID on the screen – it was Ryota. His lifelong best friend. There was no way he could ignore this call.

"Sorry," Toru said, flashing an apologetic look at the brunet. Then, bringing the phone up to his ear, he answered the call, "Moshi mo–"

"Toru-nii-san!" His friend's voice on the other line sounded as if he was gasping for air. "Are you busy right now? Where are you?"

"I...," Toru could only manage to voice, his tone sounding croaky and confused. He wasn't sure how to let the other know that he was with Taka...

But Ryota didn't let him finish. "Can I meet you right now? There's something I need to tell you."

Toru felt his chest getting heavier; now was not the right time... His gaze shifted to Taka, who only tilted his head in confusion when their eyes met.

But Ryota was his best friend; he'd been a friend for as long as Toru could remember, and a reliable one, at that. Ryota was always there by his side whenever Toru needed him, so it would be selfish and unfair if Toru didn't do the same. He cared genuinely for the younger, and right now he needed Toru more than ever...

No matter how much Toru wanted to spend time with Taka, at this point he wanted to be by Ryota's side, more than anything.

"All right."

"Then," Ryota began. "Meet me at that noodles store that just opened recently. It's in an alley nearby, it should be pretty easy to spot it." And without waiting for a response, the young man hung up immediately.

Toru sighed as he proceeded to keep the phone away, and Taka questioned out of concern, "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," Toru said, frowning. "Something came up suddenly, and I have to be there for that person."

Taka managed a nervous laugh. "It seems that, every time we make plans together, something else pops up, huh?"

Toru blinked, not really sure how to respond to that...

"It's okay!" Taka added quickly, his frown turning into a grin within seconds. "Maybe some other time!"

Toru tried to smile as well, relieved that Taka wasn't too bothered by the sudden change of plans. "You should be getting home, then."

"Wait," Taka said quickly, and Toru arched his brows, confused. Then, as he lowered his head to face the ground, Taka continued, "I was wondering... if I could come along with you?

"O-only if, whoever you're meeting is fine with it! Since it doesn't have anything to do with me..."

Toru gave it a thought. He didn't have a clue what he and Ryota were going to talk about, but knowing Ryota, he wouldn't mind too much, right?

With a slow nod, Toru responded, "Sure."

*********

The two young men arrived at the noodles store shortly after; just like Ryota had mentioned, it wasn't that difficult to spot it. There was a large, brightly-coloured banner displaying the name of the store right at the entrance, and they needn't check a second time to make sure it was the right place.

The store was already smoky and noisy when they entered; their ears were ringing, and they had to keep their heads low if they didn't want their eyes to sting. The strong smell of alcohol and steamed pork combined was overwhelming, but the rowdy workers and semi-drunk businessmen didn't seem to mind. They continued shouting orders and talking loudly among themselves; it was as if everyone was in a battle to see whose voice was the loudest.

Aside from the older men who were cooking and preparing the dishes in the open kitchen, the younger, less experienced men handled serving the food. Greatly understaffed, each young man held at least three trays each, having to manoeuvre smoothly round the overcrowding store, squeezing through narrow paths with their trays held high above their heads. The orders for gigantic bowls of oily, soupy noodles and large glasses of cool, fresh beer kept coming and were being served to every table.

In the midst of all the busy service stood Taka and Toru, standing right before a table for four, neither of them saying a word as they stared at Ryota, who was sitting there awkwardly...

...with A~chan.

The girl had an arm wrapped around Ryota's, her head resting on his shoulder. Lifting her gaze slightly, she smiled at the sight of Toru and Taka. At first glance, Ryota and A~chan looked like lovers.

_Well, this was awkward..._

The other two proceeded to take their seats directly across from the so-called couple. Then, getting straight to the point, Toru began, "What's going on...?"

Ryota shrugged, forcing a short albeit nervous laugh. "Just thought we could get some early dinner together." He waved with his free hand, calling for a waiter. A man around their age walked up to their table eventually. Like his co-workers, he was dressed in the store's uniform – a bright yellow tee accompanied by a pair of black track pants, and finally complemented by a red apron and a bandana on his head.

Ryota turned his head to face A~chan, but his gaze was focused on anything but. "Uh, what do you want?"

"I'll have whatever you have, Ryota-kun."

Toru watched as the girl pulled herself closer to his friend, and he arched a brow at the way she had addressed him. _Ryota-kun...?_

Noticing the blond's reaction, Taka couldn't help feeling a little uneasy. _Could it be...?_ He wasn't sure why, but this feeling soon took over him... and now he was desperate for Toru's attention.

"N-ne, Toru-kun! What are you having?" he questioned as he too leaned closer towards him.

Toru furrowed his brows slightly, shifting his gaze to Taka. Now he was calling him Toru-kun...?

But he brushed the thought aside, for he couldn't deny the feeling he felt when he heard those words, his heart fluttering with glee... and doubt. Taking a few seconds to think about his order, he replied, "Maybe the croquette soba?"

"Then, I'll have whatever you're having too, Toru-kun," Taka said, smiling.

Again. Toru was starting to feel a little confused. _What's gotten over him?_

The four made their orders – with the three guys ordering a glass of beer each for themselves – and the waiter made his way quickly to the kitchen. While they waited, the students simply remained seated; despite the noise level and rowdiness in the store, the silence that hung between them felt unnatural and disturbing with the awkward atmosphere lingering in the air above them.

Toru decided to take this opportunity to speak again, focusing his attention on his best friend now. "So, you got a girlfriend, huh?"

"Chau chau!" Ryota waved his hands no. "Not even close–"

"We're not together as a couple, but we are really close now, ne?" A~chan interrupted, looking up at the man beside her. Ryota gulped and nodded meekly, having no choice to respond in any other way.

Toru continued watching them, his gaze focused, as if piercing through them. Taka couldn't help noticing once more, and he breathed as the uneasy feeling from before came back to haunt him again, with the addition of an upsetting, sinking feeling in his chest...

The food and beer came shortly, and once they were laid out nicely on their table, A~chan excitedly clasped her hands together and chanted, "Thanks for the food!"

The awkward atmosphere remained between them even when they tucked in. Aside from the noise around them, the air stayed silent except for the sounds of their utensils hitting against one another.

Ryota was making an obvious mess, slurping up his soup even though he wasn't supposed to, eating in an unsightly manner. Taka made occasional glances at him, and he found himself wondering if this was really the kind of person Toru was associated with...

Toru noticed the sloppy behaviour as well, frowning as he stared at his friend from his seat. A~chan said nothing as she continued to eat, smiling as if completely oblivious to the mess beside her.

Then, Ryota reached for his beer and chugged the entire thing down within seconds, gasping for air afterwards. He was acting almost like an old man.

A~chan simply clapped her hands and grinned. "Amazing, Ryota-kun," she said. "You sure can hold your liquor!"

"I need the washroom now," Ryota said simply. He made eye contact with the blond, before excusing himself and getting to his feet, running towards the washroom.

Toru got the hint instantly. "I'm going too," he said, wiping his mouth gingerly but quickly with a folded serviette, before leaving to the washroom as well.

"Ah, me too–" Taka tried to follow after, but Toru had already left by then.

Storming into the washroom, Ryota nearly slammed the door behind him, only to have Toru pushing it open once more to let himself in. With Ryota's back still facing him, Toru questioned in a stern yet concerned voice, "What's the matter with you?"

A middle-aged man whom had been washing his hands gave them a look before stepping back into the store, and now it seemed as if Toru and Ryota were the only ones there.

Moving to the back of the washroom where no one would see them, Toru enquired once more before his friend could say anything, "What's going on back there? Why was that girl clinging on to you so much?"

"Even I have no idea!" Ryota responded, raising his voice. "She just started acting like this during our last class for no reason!"

"And she clung onto you all the way here?"

Ryota nodded, clearly exasperated.

The two friends ran their fingers through their hair, wiping the sweat off their foreheads, sighing as they were both confused about the whole situation, frustrated over how they were unable to smoke in this stuffy washroom. With a shrug, Toru continued, "Well, she _is_ kind of cute–"

"Just because I said she was cute, that doesn't mean I want to date her," Ryota corrected him. "Besides, I..."

His voice trailed off, and Toru merely arched a brow at him, expecting him to finish. "What...?"

Ryota shook his head. "Never mind." Then, turning back to the blond, he quickly changed the subject. "Why did you bring that kid along, anyway?"

"You mean Taka-ch–"

"Yeah, Taka-chan or Mori-chan or whatever."

Toru frowned, feeling slightly offended. "Do you have something against him?"

"Yes, I do! He's only making this situation wo–"

Ryota's words were interrupted when they heard the door slam, and the both of them froze immediately, pausing in their conversation. They waited cautiously for the sounds of someone walking into a stall, but there was none. Perhaps someone unbeknownst to them had just left the washroom...?

"What was that?" Ryota asked with a tiny hint of panic. "Do you think someone heard us?"

Toru shook his head. "It probably has nothing to do with them."

Outside, Taka went back to his seat, refusing to meet A~chan's gaze when she leaned forward and flashed a smile. "Taka-kun, you're back from the washroom?"

The brunet made no response, and the girl only probed further. "Taka-kun, what's wrong? Why the long face?"

Raising his gaze, Taka took notice of the large glass of beer he had ordered earlier; without hesitation, he quickly reached out and grabbed for it, chugging the drink down within seconds just like Ryota had. When it was completely empty, he noticed Toru's own glass had been left untouched, and he grabbed that and chugged the beer down as well. "Two more beers please!" he yelled at the top of his voice, completely paying no mind to A~chan's existence before him.

"What does Taka have anything to do with this, anyway?" Back in the washroom, Toru demanded a response, but Ryota merely sighed.

"Look, we both know A~chan's feelings towards Taka-san," he explained in his now calm composure. "This is just a guess, but I think because we – _you_ – are getting closer to him, she's seeing this as an opportunity to get closer to him, through _me_ , and then through _you._ "

Toru stared at the younger; for a while he was speechless. "You're lying," was all he could counter.

"Toru, we were about to have you do the same thing a few days ago," Ryota reminded him.

But the blond was not convinced. In fact, he was even more confused than before. "But why would she do that? I mean, she's already close to him; she probably knows him even more than I do."

Ryota furrowed his brows as he brought a hand to his chin, thinking seriously. "Or maybe, she's just trying to make Taka-san jealous..."

Toru was taken aback, hardly expecting that word to come to mind. _Jealous?_

"You know, like in the movies," Ryota continued. "The girl pretends to be in a relationship so the guy she likes would get jealous. And then he'll realise that he actually has secret feelings for her. He confesses to her, the girl admits that the relationship was a lie, and they all live happily ever after."

Toru gave the other a hard punch on his ribs. "You've been watching too many movies," he scolded.

Outwardly, it seemed as though he was joking, but really, he was pretty terrified on the inside. Was that true? Could such a thing really happen outside of movies?

If he allowed things to go as they were, Taka would eventually realise his feelings for A~chan and confess to her. In fact, it could happen sooner than expected, considering his weird behaviour just moments ago...

And then a sudden realisation hit the blond, just like an arrow shooting through his heart. Wasn't Taka sitting alone with A~chan right now...?

Shit!

*********

Toru and Ryota came running to their table, but they quickly stopped dead in their tracks, their eyes widened in shock as they witnessed the sight before them.

Several empty glasses were laid out all over the table, and at the far end, Taka was chugging the last filled glass, taking no notice of the newcomers. Staff and customers were watching him from all directions; some were encouraging and cheering him on, while others simply looked on with an expression of concern.

"I tried to stop him! I really did!" A~chan said to the other two, her face flushed with anxiety and exhaustion, completely helpless against the situation.

Taka gasped after finishing the glass in his hand, before slamming it onto the table. Raising his other hand, he showed off his five fingers and yelled – albeit rather lazily, "Five moaahh glasses ple–"

At that point Toru quickly covered the brunet's mouth with his hand, pulling him away from his mug, pulling him away from the table altogether. "I think you've had enough for now."

Taka flailed weakly in Toru's grasp, his speech slurred and muffled behind the younger's palm, "No... 'm not dun..."

Thanks to his current state, Toru could easily shift the other's position, allowing him to lift Taka, his hands holding him from under his back and behind his knees. He was glad Taka was too drunk to even fight back; he probably couldn't even register what was going on right now.

"He's way too drunk to head home, so I'll bring him back to my apartment," Toru informed the others.

 "Will you be all right?" Ryota asked, concerned, but Toru nodded confidently.

"He'll just sleep it off," he said. "I'll leave the rest to you." And upon those words, Toru quickly made his leave, moving swiftly through the store to the exit, and towards the main road to find a cab.

"Wait, don't leave me here to pay for all these!" Ryota called after him, but Toru was already gone by then.

It didn't take long for Toru to flag down a cab, even with his hands fully occupied. He was surprised; for someone so small, Taka was much heavier than he looked.

With some help from the driver, Toru was able to settle Taka's nearly unconscious body beside him in the vehicle, and when all seemed secure, Toru proceeded to give the old man the directions to his apartment building.

Again, Toru was glad; his apartment building was right around the area, so the ride didn't take long. He could easily keep an eye on the brunet, who by now had stopped moving and speaking completely; the only sound he made was the sound of his slow, smooth breathing, as if he had just fallen into a deep slumber.

After making payment, Toru was able to carry the other into his apartment building, nodding slightly to the guard as a basic form of greeting. Pressing the buttons on the elevator was almost no challenge for him, and the only problem he faced was when he realised just how difficult it was to unlock the door to his apartment with someone lying across his shoulder.

But he succeeded, and very quickly Toru entered his place and shut the door behind him. Walking to the mattress that lay in the dead centre of his apartment, he gently brought Taka down, allowing him to rest.

When he was fully laid down onto the mattress, Taka made some slight movements, turning to his side, his lips mumbling something, though his eyes were still shut closed.

"I wan... I wan...," the brunet whined in his semi-conscious state.

"No more beers for you. Ever. Fancy you drinking yourself to this condition," Toru scolded, though he wasn't really sure why he was responding; it wasn't as if Taka could even hear him.

"A~chan...," Taka's voice sounded again, and Toru froze, staring straight at the drunk kid with wide eyes. _A~chan...?_ Why did he mention her, of all names?

Taka continued, muttering as if he was having a genuine conversation with someone, "...I like~..."

A sudden strong and heavy feeling pressed against Toru's chest. _Did he really...?_ Toru wasn't sure how he was feeling. It felt like something was trying to drown him, pulling his chest down; but at the same time, he felt hollow, like there was a hole somewhere inside of him.

_Heartburn? Or was it something else?_

In an attempt to wake the other up, Toru shook him gently from the shoulder, "Oi, Taka-chan..."

"...stop calling me daaaaat...," Taka said once more, before turning to lie on his other side, his back facing the blond. The sinking feeling now got stronger, lower to his guts. It was a bit intense; Toru wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but now the pain seemed more physical, as if he was having a stomachache.

As he thought about what Taka said just seconds earlier, Toru couldn't stop the thoughts and questions unraveling in his mind all at once. Did he just get rejected? By drunk Taka?

No, wait... he was drunk, so perhaps he was completely unaware of what was going on? But what if he got drunk on purpose just to tell Toru how he really felt about him? What if Taka could actually hold his liquor really well, and that he was only putting up a charade? If he had been nice enough to go all the way to buy a charm for Toru, there was a possibility of him feigning his drunken state; by telling him indirectly, it was as if he was being too kind and didn't want to hurt Toru's feelings.

Toru shook his head; this was getting way too complicated and ridiculous. He was starting to think like Ryota...

But, there was a possibility, right?

Toru turned his attention back to the elder, whom had genuinely fallen asleep by then, the soft sounds of his snoring filling the nearly empty apartment. Toru thought about Taka, he thought about all the possibilities he'd just come up with; was Taka really capable of doing all that?

A wave of nausea began to envelope him the blond as the pain in his stomach got stronger, sharper. It almost felt as if someone was manhandling his guts, pulling and tearing his insides apart. Was it the noodles?

_Or... did it have something to do with A~chan?_

Giving off one final sigh, Toru forced himself to get to his feet to wash up, but not before draping a large, thick blanket lightly over the other's diminutive figure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also if you were wondering, yes, Toru was holding Taka bridal-style www.  
> Oh! And regarding the mattress... Of course most people would have beds instead, but, well... it's there for a reason!
> 
> Anyway, I want to thank everyone for supporting me and sticking with this story ehehehe. You guys make me so happy. Thank you all, please continue supporting me ; o ; And I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

_By this time the room was in complete darkness, save for the occasional lights from the vehicles outside gliding down the walls of the apartment. In this relatively quiet neighbourhood, the only sounds came from the crickets that had just emerged into the night, making the familiar, soothing creaking sounds that comforted anyone who was alone. Outside, the lights of nearby apartments were switching off, one by one, as the minutes clocked in and the late night progressed. And just moments before he decided he too should turn it, he hovered over the petite figure, brushing any stray strands aside, before lowering himself and planting a small kiss on the other's forehead._

*********

 

The following morning came with the common birds chirping loudly, their sweet, melodious voices bouncing against the walls, ringing through awakening ears. The evergrowing shades of sunlight seeped in through the window blinds that were hanging loosely, playing with angles on the walls.

Taka moved from his position, mustering all his might and forcing himself to stretch his arms, yawning as he did so, and he turned to lie on his back.

Ugh... His head met an unbearable pain, and he furrowed his brows. He could barely open his eyes, and even when he managed to do so, he immediately closed them back again, having been greeted by the blinding light.

There was a rough, metallic taste at the back of his throat, like sandpaper, and the brunet immediately craved something to drink. The booming headache only added to his discomfort, and Taka groaned as he slowly brought a hand over his throbbing temple.

This was a pretty bad hangover... but what exactly happened? Taka couldn't remember anything that happened the night before – he couldn't even remember that he'd been drinking.

Where did he go? Did he go clubbing last night? Did he go to a pub and drink himself unconscious?

Shielding his eyes lightly with the back of his hand, Taka made an attempt to open his eyes again - slowly - and to take in his surroundings. Perhaps that could refresh his memory for a bit?

From where he laid, Taka scanned the surrounding environment; except for the windows by his side, he was only met with plain white walls and unfamiliar furniture. There were clothes and probably half-filled cans of soft drinks strewn around, not to mention the young man himself was actually lying on a mattress – on the floor. How did he end up in a place like this?

A wave of fear and panic slowly began to build up within him as his vision got clearer and he was becoming more aware of the current situation.

_Where the hell is this? A hotel?_ No... it looked more like an apartment...

Taka lowered the hand to his mouth; he'd felt nauseous since he woke up, but the feeling of throwing up this time was overwhelming. If he was at someone's apartment, then that would mean... last night, he...!?

The sudden sound of snoring at such close proximity caught the brunet by surprise, and Taka gulped. He winced immediately from the scratchy friction in his throat, but that displeasure was nothing compared to the feeling of disgust and uneasiness when Taka came to realise that someone was lying asleep, right next to him.

Did he even want to turn and see who it was...?

The figure beside him began to shift slightly, and Taka immediately shut his eyes, disregarding the sharp pain that shot into his head as he did so. The person was moving now, probably looking around, looking at him; Taka could feel his cold gaze staring down, possibly mentally undressing him, and he shuddered.

Okay, if this person didn't leave in three seconds, he would open his eyes and meet the gaze of whatever creepy old man was looming above him. 

_One..._

_Two..._

_Thre–_

"Ah, are you awake?"

In shock, Taka sucked in a breath, his ears perking up as the sound of those words reached him. That voice...? Albeit deep, it felt warm and genuine, it sounded so familiar...

"Why do you look so tense?" the voice continued. "Wait, are you unwell? Do you need the washroom?"

Taka froze when he felt the other's skin brushing against his own; the back of his hand pressed against his lower jaw, then his wide, broad palm resting itself on his forehead.

_What's this..._ this person was checking his temperature? If the voice he'd just heard, the touch he'd just felt, matched the person he had in mind, then this was really...

"Toru!" Taka gasped as his eyes shot open, scaring the other nearly to death, retreating his hand back in response. Taka took several quick but deep breaths through his mouth, each one feeling like he was breathing in a sack of ashes, while he stared at the blond with his wide hazel orbs.

Toru was right there, just inches from his face! Then that meant...

This was Toru's place! If only Taka had the ability to scream right now...

Taka turned his head slowly to face the blond, to get a better view; from his angle, the elder couldn't help noticing more of his lucid features – the blond tresses, all messed up and unkempt and brushed in different directions; the strong and solid jawline, so clear and sharp right up to below his ear; the wide and broad shoulders that promised a strong, assuring build; and the defined collarbones that protruded healthily at a sharp angle. Everything about Toru screamed hot and Taka would probably be drooling right now if he wasn't so dehydrated.

His pupils dilating, he trailed downwards to where his torso proudly presented itself. _Oh god..._ A part of Toru's skin that Taka had never seen before now exposed, he marveled at the sight of the taut frame right before him. The way his chest stuck out, strong and firm, almost begging for Taka to reach out for it. His toned arms indicating that he'd been working out, with perhaps a vein or two visible on the forearms. And a tight stomach cheekily exposing his navel, followed by the happy trail that teased the brunet down to the band of his boxer briefs...

The divine moment of seeing Toru's lack of clothing however didn't last long. Noticing the elder's stare upon him, the blond quickly shifted, bringing a hand to the back of his neck as he nervously explained, "Uh, this is how I usually sleep. It's not like we did anything last night..."

"Huh?" Taka blinked several times, snapping himself back to reality from his dreamy state. "Oh, yeah... that's good," was all he managed, but if he had his say, he honestly wouldn't have minded if he'd even done anything with the other last night.

He knew he was blushing terribly, his face now sporting shades of bright crimson as he struggled to look at something other than the blond, but he was secretly glad Toru was unable to tell that he was checking him out...

Taka turned to face Toru, only to meet his gaze for the second time that morning, and he immediately turned away again, bringing a hand to hide half his ever blushing face. Shit... there was absolutely no reason for him to be acting so nervously, especially since seeing a man shirtless - not to mention his _friend_ - should be normal...

Nonononono. The fact that Toru was his _friend_ should be reason enough that it wasn't normal to feel this way. So what the hell was going on!? Did something happen last night that was causing Taka's hormones to rage like they'd never seen someone so attractive before?

Toru could only force a laugh, obviously just as embarrassed as the brunet. "You slept through the entire night," he said, grinning slightly. "You're amazing."

"Ehh..." Running his fingers slowly through his own brown strands, Taka could barely believe it himself. "What happened last night...?"

The other shrugged. "Dunno. When we found you, you were already drunk. Drinking like there was no tomorrow."

This confused Taka even more. Where did he go last night, and with who? There were so many questions he'd wanted to ask, but the headache Toru had temporarily expelled was starting to come back, and it was getting in the way of his thinking...

"Anyway, you should go wash up. I'll wait here." Toru diligently brought himself to his feet, grabbing a used towel from the couch and throwing it lightly at the elder, falling on his face. "You probably missed some of your classes already, so you can rest here the whole day."

It took almost all of Taka's remaining sanity to recall what day of the week it was, and he groaned in both frustration and discomfort; he did miss those lectures in the morning...

Oh well. It wasn't like they were important at this time of the year, anyway.

Clutching the damp towel, Taka took a deep breath, inadvertently sniffing into the fabric and recognising Toru's scent immediately. The confusing but fragrant aroma of cigarettes and perfume wafted through his senses, almost reviving him from his hungover state.

It was the very same scent he recalled from that incident in the alley. Subtle, but still strong enough to fill the brunet with a sense of happiness and intimacy, like he could just burrow his face in this towel for the rest of the day...

Shit. Forcing himself back to the present, Taka managed to convince himself that he should get going before the other noticed he was swooning over his towel. The brunet propped himself up, taking up every ounce of his remaining strength.

He felt like throwing up immediately, feeling the nausea hitting in and his vision spinning, and it took all of Taka's might to keep it all in, bringing a hand to rub his temples, soothing himself. The last thing he wanted was to throw up in Toru's place and make him clean up after his own mess.

Ignoring the repulsive, metallic taste in the back of his throat, which was already as dry and rough as a desert, Taka forced himself up, walking slowly to the washroom. He was so grateful for the apartment's layout, for in spite of his condition, he was still able to make his way to the washroom without much difficulty.

And once he closed the doors behind him, Taka did whatever he could to loosen up and pull himself together.

*********

It didn't take Taka long to wash up and feel clean again. He dried his curls with the towel, and though still fairly dizzy, he managed to walk out the washroom and into the apartment, noticing a much cleaner, neater change from before.

He noticed Toru working his way round the open kitchen, now dressed in a dark pullover with a small scarf – much to his disappointment. Sure Toru looked good, but he wanted to admire his bare skin too...

A hard shove in his ribs snapped the brunet back into reality, and he found himself standing just inches within the other, with a can of pocari sweat stabbing him lightly right below his chest. His other hand outstretched, revealing a single white tablet of what seemed to be aspirin.

Taka expressed his gratitude immediately, not wasting a moment to pop the pill into his mouth and downing the entire sports drink in one massive gulp in an attempt to catch up on his much needed hydration.

"Are you going off to class?" Taka questioned after barely sparing the last few drops of his drink, turning to Toru.

The blond stayed silent for a moment, looking around the apartment helplessly in various directions as if trying to find more things to clean up, before finally speaking, "...Yeah."

Taka blinked; somehow, the aura he emitted was different...

"You drank up a lot last night," Toru added, quickly interrupting his thoughts before they could dwell in any further. "Don't forget to pay him back when you see him."

With the aspirin already kicking in, the mention of Ryota immediately shot a sharp pain in the brunet's chest. His memories from the day before were still vague, but at that moment he could slightly recall running out of the washroom after Ryota had said something. Were they in a fight...?

"Uh... how 'bout I just pass you the money right now, so you can pass it to him?" Taka suggested nervously. "You're going to see him later, right?"

"Be a man about it!" Toru joked, grabbing Taka's wrist and dragging the poor young man out of the apartment with him.

And before Taka could even fathom what was going on, he already found themselves standing side by side in the train, on their way to college, squeezed against one another in the inevitable crowd during the current lunch hour.

The two hadn't spoken a single word to each other ever since, and all that existed between them was a dead, awkward silence that seemed to mock them even more so in the packed albeit silent train ride. Taka had his gaze fixed on the floor, confused, questions unraveling in his mind as he struggled to keep his balance. He knew Toru wasn't much of a talker, but standing in silence with the man in question right now – why was that making him feel so uncomfortable? He'd never felt that way around him before.

He checked his cell phone, surprisingly still surviving with three per cent battery since he hadn't charged it at all – and he looked through the countless texts and missed calls he'd received from his friends that morning – all in an attempt to make the situation feel less awkward.

He wanted to say something, he wanted to ask Toru about what happened between him and Ryota the day before, but he couldn't even recall if Toru had been there and knew anything about it...

"Taka," the warm, deep voice caught his attention again, and the blond continued, "Do you...?"

Taka only arched a brow, waiting patiently for the other to finish, trying to ignore the petty question that seemed to nag at him from the back of his mind; why Taka, and not Taka-chan?

The blond seemed hesitant, but continued to speak anyway, "You... and A~chan...?"

Taka widened his eyes upon the mention of the girl. So Toru knew about it? Could it have slipped accidentally during his drunk charade last night?

Heh... so Toru was keeping silent because of that? Taka couldn't help chuckling to himself, feeling a little glad over how Toru was expressing his curiosity.

Or perhaps, _jealousy_ was the better term? As Taka would prefer to call it.

His spirits now lifted, Taka replied truthfully, "Yeah, I'm going to talk to her about it today, if I do get to see her."

And then his spirits died almost as quickly as they had lived, for the brunet came to the sudden realisation that Toru wasn't asking because he was interested in Taka's personal affairs; he had been asking for himself, he'd been asking for his own interests – which in this case, was A~chan.

Toru nodded, turning slowly to look away from the shorter. _So Taka was going to confess..._ At this point, there was no use trying to chase him.

"Good luck," was all he said, silently agreeing that he could only wish the best for the brunet and respect his relationship with the girl in question.

"Thanks," Taka replied, giving a small smile, oblivious to the thoughts playing around in the blond's mind.

Fortunately Toru's place wasn't that far from college, and the two reached their destination in no time. As they stepped into campus, Taka immediately tensed up, and he lowered his head, hoping none of his friends or lecturers were still around to see him. But he had the worst luck that day...

"Taka-kun~!" a girl's high-pitched voice echoed through the hallway as they entered the main building, and the two stopped in their tracks.

Shit.

The men turned around, surprised to find A~chan walking briskly towards them, waving at them – or more particularly, waving at Taka.

A heavy, sinking feeling pressed against Toru's chest. _It's going to happen..._ He watched as A~chan completely disregarded his existence and focused her attention straight on Taka, and they both engaged in conversation. _Soon, Taka is going to confess..._

Toru decided he should leave this current situation before he witnessed something too painful for him to even bear. "I'm going to class now," he informed them, before turning and walking quickly down to the theatres, leaving Taka and the girl alone with barely any time to bid him a proper goodbye.

With the third party gone, A~chan turned back to the brunet, flashing him a wide, relieved grin, just grateful to be able to see him again.

 "Taka-kun," she called affectionately. "How are you feeling now?"

"Mm, a little better now," Taka replied. The pocari sweat at least got rid of the pain in his head, and he could feel the colour coming back to his face.

 A~chan widened her grin. "That's great! I was so worried for you, Taka-kun! You just started drinking all of a sudden, and you wouldn't stop..." And though the smile remained on her sweet face, she lowered her head, eyeing the ground as she clasped her palms together and began fiddling her fingers, obviously nervous.

"Anyway, I'm just glad to see you healthy again," she said.

Taka gave a small smile, but the tone he spoke in hardly did any service to his expression. "A~chan, I need to talk to you."

Her smile disappeared instantly, but Taka continued, "I've been thinking about what you said the other day. And... about the person I like."

A faint blush present on the girl's face, the two stood there in silence while Taka paused mid-sentence, hesitant. They stood there for so long, they probably hadn't noticed when a couple of other students walked past them, watching them from afar and giving them weird looks.

_"Hey, isn't that the guy from..."_

_"Another confession!?"_

_"What an easy kid..."_

And even after those annoying gossiping juniors had left, Taka remained standing there, almost lost in his thoughts, and eventually A~chan tilted her head in confusion. "Taka-kun...?"

"Gomen ne, A~chan," the other apologised. "But yesterday I realised... the person I like...

"...It's not you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is so poorly written. Please forgive me ; ;
> 
> If you're wondering, yes, the people you were reading about at the start of the chapter were Toru and Taka! I wanted to make Toru do more, but then I realised that he would be taking advantage of him, so... I decided against it. Hopefully a kiss would suffice!  
> I wanted to focus a bit more on Taka's feelings these few chapters, but I must have been half drunk when I planned this out. If it feels as if Taka's suddenly swooning over Toru out of nowhere, I'm sorry; this chapter turned out too long and I had to cut it, so in the next chapter hopefully I'll be able to explain his feelings a little better.
> 
> I'm making a lot of excuses...  
> On a side note, I'm sorry for the late update! With all these festivities and family events going on... I hope no one forgot about me.  
> So, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and will continue to support me!  
> Happy New Year! (in advance...?)
> 
> (P.S. I'm not sure about other places, but over here we do drink pocari sweat when we're suffering from a hangover. It doesn't always work, so I guess it depends on how much alcohol you've consumed? Or maybe it depends on the person, hehe.)


	12. Chapter 12

_Instead of the usual void of darkness he was usually met with when he closed his eyes, all he could see was a young man sporting blond hair, smiling at him from ear to ear. He grinned back, glad to just see him again, but his smile faded away as soon as he noticed that the blond wasn't smiling at him, but rather at someone else. And before he knew it, the blond seemed to be getting further away, far beyond his reach, and no matter how much he called for him, he wouldn't come back. It was as if he was walking away from him and running into someone else's arms._

_"He's only making this situation worse," another character entered the scene, standing by the couple's side, and the three stood there, snickering to themselves as they set their mocking gaze on him._

_And this was all he could see whenever he tried to recall what happened on the night he drank himself unconscious._

*********

"Yesterday I realised... the person I like... it's not you."

The two stood there in silence, the girl staring at him as if finding it hard to believe what he'd just said.

"Although...," Taka continued, rolling his eyes playfully, a forced laugh escaping his lips. "I think that person already likes someone else."

"Taka-kun...?" A~chan called, tilting her head and looking at him with an expression of concern and disappointment.

"Please, stop calling me that from now on," the brunet said, and the girl only blinked in surprise, having not expected him to say something so... blunt. "Let's just stay as friends like before, all right?

"I'm sorry for wasting your time and making you wait so long for my answer," he finished, and with a wide grin, he quickly nodded before advancing down the hallway, picking up his pace as he walked past the girl, leaving her to stand alone. It didn't matter if she had her head down, her dark locks masking the look of devastation on her face; it didn't matter if he'd just hurt her feelings. Right now, he just wanted to get as far away from her as possible.

His brisk walk escalated into a jog, and soon he found himself running, with his face flushed and his breathing heavy, and he ran and ran aimlessly around the campus, with no direction in mind. He just had the urge to run, and the urge to scream.

But what for? Was it because he'd just broken his friend's heart? Because he knew he would never have another chance in love? Because he'd just admitted his feelings to himself?

If Taka had to be honest to himself... he'd come to realise his feelings for someone, and was just starting to accept it only now. But was that really something to be happy about?

Taka eventually slowed down, coming to a slow walk while he took the time to catch his breath. He continued to roam around; all that running with no direction reminded him that his main reason to be here was to find Ryota, but he had no idea where he was.

 _"He's only making this situation worse,"_ Ryota's voice rang in his head, causing the brunet to pause in his tracks and rub his aching temple. He hadn't fully recovered from his hangover, and he couldn't exactly remember what happened last night – but he was positive he heard Ryota saying that about him.

The man dropped a heavy sigh. Was Ryota bothered by his being around Toru all the time? Or did he not like him very much? If the scenes he pictured in his head were true... Toru was falling for someone else, and Ryota was trying to help him – and that was proving to be difficult simply because Taka was spending too much time with them?

He should have just stayed in the apartment... He'd missed his morning lectures anyway, and he had absolutely no mood to attend the afternoon's.

Walking to a stone bench nearby, Taka took a seat, his gaze fixed on the ground as he drowned himself in his own sorrow. He was so out in the open, but the last thing he needed was for someone he knew to find him again, and even though his main objective was to see Ryota, he wasn't sure if that was a great idea right now...

"Oi, fancy seeing you here," a familiar voice followed by a hard slap on his shoulder caught the brunet by surprise, causing him to jump in his seat and turn around.

Speak of the devil.

Taka immediately shot up and bowed, greeting him. "Ryota-san...!"

The latter bowed slightly. "No need to be so formal." He grinned. "How are you feeling now?"

Noting the hint of concern in his tone, Taka lowered his head. "A little better..." Waves of guilt immediately washed over him as he remembered that Ryota was probably the one most affected by his drunken state, and he quickly fished his wallet out and shoved it to the other, very much similar to when he presented the charm to his best friend. "I'm very ashamed of what I did yesterday," he added. "So please take whatever I have with me right now and forgive me! If this isn't enough, I'll pay back the full amount another time!"

Ryota blinked, a blank expression prominent on his face. "Ah, is this about yesterday?" he laughed and waved it off. "Don't worry about it!" Paying no attention to the brunet's surprise and confusion, he moved forward to take a seat on the bench, looking up at him afterwards. "What's important is that you're safe and fine right now! I was so worried about you."

 _What?_ "Worried?"

The other nodded. "When Toru and I came back, you were already drunk and drinking a tower of beers!" The vague memory from the day before brought a large guffaw from the junior. "You should have seen the look on A~chan's face!"

Taka kept silent; he already knew that A~chan had seen him drunk last night, and now only hoped that he hadn't done anything too embarrassing in front of her... or Toru.

"But, we were seriously worried, y'know," Ryota added quickly, his tone now serious. "You got drunk in such a short amount of time. Did something happen?"

 _'He's only making this situation worse.'_ The faint voice nagging in his mind caused the brunet to wince, the memories from last night slowly coming back to him.

_Oh... he drank because he overheard Ryota saying that about him..._

Noticing the lack of response, Ryota arched his brows. "Was it that bad?"

Taka frowned slightly, giving a small bow. "Ryota-san, I'm sorry if my presence has ever bothered you."

"Hah!?" Ryota replied in shock. "Where did that come from!?"

"Last night, you said something like that."

The younger only stared at him, staring at nothing in particular as if trying to recall the detailed events from last night, when his face suddenly lit up. "Taka-san!" he shrieked. "You misunderstood me!

"I only said that because A~chan was there, so...," the man came to a slow pause, unsure if he should mention the girl's feelings for him.

But the brunet seemed to understand as if he'd read his mind, and he gave a small laugh, sounding half nervous and half guilty over accusing the other of such negative intentions. "It's all right...!" he said. "I rejected her already."

 _Huh?_ She already confessed? Then, why was she acting so close–

"She won't bother you any more!" Taka added. "I'm sorry if she caused you any trouble." Then he let out a long, relieved sigh. "But I'm glad; I thought you really hated me..."

Ryota couldn't help laughing. "You got drunk because of _that?_ " 

"But now that I know you don't really have a problem with me, I'm going to work harder."

Now the younger looked up at him with a confused expression on his face. _Work harder?_

And Taka only met his gaze with a much wider smile this time. "Gomen ne," he said. "But starting now, I'm going to be around you guys a lot more often...

"...because I... I like Toru."

*********

_"You're so lucky, Mei-chan, getting Toru-kun as your partner..."_

_"I only care about getting this assignment finished. But don't you think he's acting a little differently, lately?"_

_"I don't know about you, but he smiles a lot now. I like this new side of him..."_

_"Shush– he's walking off! Quick, Mei-chan, go after him!"_

_"Remember I'm only doing this for my own grades!"_

The blond, oblivious to the three girls muttering among themselves, made his leave quickly as soon as they were dismissed. Figuring his best friend and Taka must have headed home already, he frowned over the thought of having to walk to the station alone.

 _At the mention of Taka..._ Toru gave a deep sigh as he thought of his meeting with A~chan just hours ago.

Taka should have already confessed to her, and she must have accepted him – _who wouldn't?_ With his adventurous curls and the hazel orbs and button nose, to his innocent and almost child-like demeanour; how could anyone resist being together with that guy?

And right now they were probably on a date; a real, proper date as boyfriend and girlfriend. And they could be doing simple but romantic things such as having a cup of coffee together, because since they were already so close, they wouldn't be awkward with each other any more.

And tomorrow... the both of them would walk into campus together, hand in hand, and the whole college would dub them the cutest and most popular couple in the city.

Another sigh. Toru didn't want to think about the subject any more; it was only making him even more upset than he already was.

Therefore, when a female student walked up to him, he was more than glad to be distracted, instead of being annoyed or apathetic like he usually was.

"Toru," she called, smiling. "Are you heading home?"

Toru barely glanced in her direction. He knew nothing about the girl except for her name, Mei, and he only recognised her as his partner in their recent assignment. "Yeah." He nodded. "And you?"

"Actually, I was wondering if we could head home together?" she suggested. "Our stations are on the same line, right? And there's a lot we need to discuss..."

"Oh..." Toru only  turned and stared blankly at the girl in response. It wasn't the first time he'd been asked to walk home together, flirting or not, but he still had no idea how to respond to such a request. "Sure," was all he said, and he continued walking.

Discussing about work now sounded better than thinking about Taka, anyway.

The two made their way to the train station together, the whole time Mei was going through the basic guidelines of their assignment, and Toru only listened and made small nods occasionally. He didn't have anything to say since she was already doing much of the talking.

They passed through the station's gantry and boarded the train together, managing to squeeze through the crowd.

"You live pretty close, don't you?" the girl asked, poking the blond's ribs lightly with her elbow. "Let's go to your place right now so we can get this first annex done!"

 _Wait... what._ She made the decision too quickly, Toru had hardly any time to refuse. At first he was glad at how focused the girl was on their work, but now she was getting _too_ focused and it was starting to annoy him. He wanted to tell her off... but he didn't know how to, considering how he barely knew her.

And now she went back to the topic of their assignment, without even waiting for his response.

Realising he had no choice but to allow this nearly random schoolmate into his apartment, Toru inwardly admitted defeat.

*********

Taka took a step back and scanned the now cleaned up apartment, smiling as he admired after his own work. Even though Toru had already gotten rid of the empty drink cans and unfolded clothes, Taka still made an effort to actually clean the place – sweeping the floor, wiping the tables, dusting the furniture – and now the apartment looked _and_ felt significantly cleaner than before.

Taka couldn't help feeling proud of himself. He was sure this would be a nice welcome for the blond when he came home, and this was a way for him to show his gratitude for letting him stay here as well.

And that wasn't the only reason... Now that Taka had fully accepted his feelings for the blond, in a very subtle way, this felt like he was trying to get Toru to accept him as well. Sure Toru had a lot of admirers, most of them being female, but have any of them actually cleaned his apartment up for him? _Hah. Of course not._

The sound of footsteps coming down the corridor outside immediately caught the brunet's attention. _It's Toru,_ he thought, noting the sounds coming closer. He quickly turned to face the door, ready to greet the other with a grin. _  
_

_"Mm... that's right,"_ came Toru's voice from the other side, and Taka arched his brows. Who was Toru speaking to? Was he on the phone?

_"Deshou? Then we can finish this tonight, if you're up for it..."_

Taka froze. _What..._ That sounded far from Toru's voice.

A girl? Toru brought a girl home? And what were they talking about!?

By this time he was hearing a set of keys unlocking the door from outside, but Taka remained rooted at where he stood, stunned and unsure of how to react to what he'd just heard. A few seconds felt like forever, almost as if the occupant was unlocking five hundred locks, with every click and turn bringing the two parties closer to their meeting.

The metal door finally swung open, with Toru and Mei stepping into the apartment before pausing in their tracks right at the doorway, their gaze fixed on the brunet who only returned the look with wide eyes.

Taka turned to Toru, then to the girl standing right beside him; and having no idea who she was or what the hell she was here for, he had only one thing on his mind.

_Shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haaaa... not much interaction between Toru and Taka in this chapter, it was meant to clear some misunderstandings... and then cause another one haha. So yes, Taka finally admitted his feelings for Toru! Now when will he admit it to the blond himself? Hahaha...  
> Next chapter will probably be really long... and painfully cheesy. I'm going to apologise in advance, and I will apologise again when I publish it too.
> 
> Anyway, thanks so much to those who have been reading and supporting me to this point. I hope you're enjoying it so far and will continue to support me! Thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

The trio stood there and exchanged looks, the situation having rendered them speechless. For one party, all they could think about was who the newcomer was; for the other, _what the hell was this kid doing here!?_

Mei looked up at her acquaintance, a questioning look on her face as she whispered, "Toru, is he...?"

Before any more could be said, the lone party quickly made his leave, bumping into and running past the other two, making no effort to apologise or say even a single word to them.

"Oi!" Toru called, turning back to the direction in which he ran, but the brunet simply ignored him as he continued to bolt his way out of the apartment building.

 _I can't believe it! I can't believe it!_ The words chanted endlessly in his mind as he continued running; like before, he ran without a direction, and only came to a stop when he was a distance away from the building, away from the couple he'd accidentally bumped into.

His breathing slowed along with his pace, reaching out for a brick wall nearby for support, still trying to register what he'd just seen.

 _Toru brought a girl home...?_ But why? Were they friends? _Close friends?_  Was it a girl's first time to his apartment?

He gasped inwardly. Would Toru bring girls to his home occasionally? _Was he really that type of guy!?_

He could feel his heart sinking, but the brunet wasn't entirely sure how to feel about the situation. He had thought Toru already liked someone else, but now he was bringing girls to his home?

And what do they do, anyway? They would be alone together, and... that mattress on the floor...

At this point Taka felt like throwing up. No way. He didn't want to believe it, but somehow, he was mad that there was such a possibility, too...

Fuck. Why did he have to fall for someone like that!?

*********

"So? What did you call me for?"

The two best friends barely looked at each other as they stood, their backs leaning against a wire fence. Toru didn't respond, his fists clenched tightly at the hem of his shirt, obviously trying to resist the urge to smoke a cigarette, and his expression lost deep in his unraveling thoughts.

Ryota sighed. He could easily tell whenever his friend was upset, even if the latter refused to show his face; but this was his first time seeing him so openly _broken._ The look of pain and frustration so bold on his face, Ryota didn't know that he was even capable of such emotions.

"You look really bad...," he pointed out the obvious. "...Is it Taka?"

Toru looked at him, surprised. "How did you know...?"

"It's written all over your face!" the other replied, but really, it was a no brainer; he knew Taka was the only one who could reduce him to such a vulnerable state.

The blond sighed, again cursing himself for accidentally walking into a non-smoking area, and made no further response. He didn't even know where to start.

But Ryota did. "How is he?" he asked, referring to the brunet. "I saw him just now. He wanted to pay me for the beer."

"You saw him?" Toru repeated, and his friend nodded.

_That must be after his confession to A~chan..._

Oh, right... perhaps that was the reason why he was feeling so down?

"Come on," Ryota urged. "What's wrong?"

Toru knew that if he refused to speak up, they would be getting nowhere. He called Ryota over for help in the first place, after all, and if he wanted help, he needed to get straight to the point. "Taka's already seeing someone."

" _What!?_ " the younger screeched.

"He was going to confess to A~chan," Toru explained. "And you know how she feels about him."

"Confess...?" Ryota was far beyond confused. Didn't Taka say just hours before that he'd rejected her?

And then it hit him that Taka probably hadn't told the blond yet, so he must have gotten the wrong idea...

...and if Toru didn't know about his rejecting A~chan, then that meant that he didn't know about Taka's feelings for him as well.

A small wave of excitement dwelling within him from this realisation, Ryota was now finding it hard to hide that trivia from Toru. He knew his friend's feelings for Taka, and he had the biggest urge to tell him about their mutual affection, to see the look on his friend's face, and it was taking all his respect and self-discipline to resist. Besides, he was pretty sure Taka would like to let him know himself.

But at the same time, Ryota needed to tell Toru that he was wrong about Taka and A~chan, and he couldn't bear to see his best friend worrying over something nonexistent. "How can you be so sure?" he questioned, looking over at the blond. "How do you know if it really was a confession?"

"Because last night, when he was drunk," the other replied. "He said so himself."

"Huh!?"

"He said, _'The person I like is A~chan'_ , or something like that." Toru shrugged.

Ryota couldn't help frowning. _That didn't sound right..._

"Oh, but for some reason," Toru recalled. "He was in my apartment when I got home.

"When he saw me, he immediately ran off." His gaze lowered to focus on the road beneath them, he muttered, "I wish I knew why."

"Did anything happen before that?" Ryota enquired.

Toru looked up at the sky, a sea of darkening tangerine as the sun lowered to bring out the stars of the night. Recalling the events from that day, he mentioned, "There was that girl in my class who wanted to work on our assignment..."

"Did she come over to your place?" Toru nodded, before receiving a hard punch on his arm.

"Of course he ran, you idiot!" Ryota scolded. In his mind, he knew Taka had misunderstood, and probably thought that the girl was _more_ than just a classmate, but he tried to come up with a more neutral reason instead. "He probably didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea, so it's no surprise that he ran away when he saw you brought your classmate over...!"

Toru gave a contemplative look, and Ryota continued, "Did she say anything?"

The blond shook his head. "I just told her we were living together."

Ryota nodded in response. That was understandable. It was not uncommon to see college students sharing an apartment together, especially if they were both the same sex, so it was a good thing that she hadn't suspected anything.

Then, running a hand through his thick, blond locks, Toru sighed slowly, "So does this mean I _didn't_ do anything wrong...?"

The other could only stare at his friend in silence, watching as he expressed genuine concern in both his tone and his countenance. It wasn't difficult to see just how much Taka really meant to him.

"Why don't you take this opportunity to talk to him, then?" he suggested, flashing a small smile. "It could clear things up." _And hopefully you'll reveal your feelings for him too,_ he thought, but decided against saying that.

The blond did indeed pull his cell phone out of his pocket, but he merely glanced at it, as if hesitant to make a move. "...I'm afraid," he said. "What if he hates me now?"

Ryota stared blankly at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. "You're speaking like a middle school kid in love!"

At that point a violent vibration rang in his pockets, and Ryota wasted no time in fishing his own phone out. "Let the pro show you how it's done." He smirked at the blond before proceeding to answer the incoming call, ignoring the unknown number on his caller ID. "Yo!"

There was a pause before the person on the other line spoke up, "Uh... Ryota?"

The man furrowed his brows. "Yes?"

The other immediately heaved a huge sigh of relief. "Yokatta... I had to call through fifteen other people before this..."

Ryota frowned. The voice on the other end sounded familiar, but... "Who is this?"

"Ah, sorry. It's Tomoya."

The name rang a bell, as Ryota vaguely remembered speaking to one of Taka's friends not too long ago. _The one who wanted him and A~chan together._

"I don't have time to explain," Tomoya added quickly, a hint of urgency present in his tone. "But we need to see you as soon as possible. I think Mori-chan wants to talk to you."

This only confused Ryota even further. First it was Toru who needed his company, and now Taka? "...All right," he agreed quietly. "I'll–"

"Oh, wait," Tomoya recalled. "He has one more favour to ask of you.

"Please don't bring Toru along."

*********

Despite the sky having already settled down into a dark shade of blue, there was hardly any lack of light and shine in the cities and entertainment districts. To many, the night was still young as they continued to fill up the spaces in diners and even the streets in between stores.

Ryota pushed open the door of the café and hurriedly stepped inside, panting slightly as he scanned the area to find two familiar figures seated in the corner. Making his way towards them, he could already recognise Taka – his head lowered so his dark curls shielded his expression of melancholy. Beside him, his friend Tomoya was waving for Ryota to hurry over.

Ryota took a seat across from them, instantly noticing the gloomy atmosphere. "What's going on...?" he questioned, and the former only gave a look of concern in Taka's direction.

"I don't know." He shrugged. "Mori-chan called me up and he sounded pretty down, and then he said he needed to talk to you."

Ryota blinked. Since they specifically mentioned him, could it have something to do with Toru? "What's up?" He directed the question at Taka this time. "Maybe I can help."

At that point a barista had come to their table with a tray, placing a couple of mugs on their table, filled to the brim with rich, hot chocolate. Taking Ryota's order in mind, he quickly carried on serving the other drinks before returning to the counter.

Taka now focused his gaze on his mug, and he gave a slow, long sigh. "...Toru doesn't like sweet things, right?"

The other two were stunned. Where the hell did that come from?

"When I was out with Toru the other day," the brunet continued. "We came to this exact same place, and he had an espresso."

Ryota let out a small laugh. "Well, he does, occasionally–"

"And then," Taka carried on. "Toru got lost, so he entered a sex store to ask for directions."

Tomoya and Ryota arched brows at each other. What?

"Toru may not be the type who shows off his feelings, but he's so easy to read sometimes." The brunet gave a small laugh. "I know all these about him, and yet I ended up learning something about him that I now wish I hadn't known.

"If Toru already likes someone, then why does he still bring girls to his home?" His voice now raised slightly in anger and frustration. "That's so unfair!"

Ryota widened his eyes slightly. So, Taka already knew of Toru's feelings...?

"It's unfair to me, and unfair to the person he likes."

_Wait..._

"Who does he like?" Tomoya asked in curiosity.

"A~chan," Taka replied, and the other two gasped, surprised. "I saw the way he looks at her. He has this sparkle in his eyes when he does..." Slouching back in his seat, he frowned at the sight of his drink. "...And I found myself wishing that he would look at me the same way."

The barista from before arrived again, placing Ryota's drink on the table, only to be taken aback when Tomoya suddenly stood up and shrieked, "You don't mean...!?"

Taka said nothing, merely staring at his friend with arched brows, the same look imitated by Ryota. The barista, who was now quite shaken, took the opportunity to leave while the guys stayed in silence, waiting for the elder's response.

Tomoya turned to face Ryota, his eyes just as wide. "You know about this!?"

Ryota shrugged. "Only just a few hours ago."

"But what about all the things we did for you and A~chan!?" Tomoya turned back to Taka. "We all thought you liked her!"

"Maybe a bit, at first." Taka made no effort to hide his faint blush, scratching his cheek sheepishly with a finger as he gave a small laugh. "But not any more–"

" _Sumimasen,_ " an older man nearby interrupted them, albeit firmly, and though over half his face was covered by the large collars of his coat, he still managed to intimidate them with a piercing glare. The three young men quickly bowed their heads and gave an apology, with Tomoya returning to his seat and taking a sip of his drink. The older man turned back to his own, hoping to disregard them for the next few moments or so.

"...Sorry," Taka apologised, albeit more to his friend than to the stranger. "But I've been thinking about it... and I think I've had these feelings for Toru since the very beginning.

"But why did I have to fall for such a person?"

The other two arched their brows in confusion, merely watching and listening intently as the brunet continued to question himself, "Why did I fall for a guy who already has feelings for someone else? Why did I fall for someone who brings girls to his home just so he can sleep with them?"

"That's not true, Taka-san!" Ryota immediately barged in, leaning in towards him and slamming both his palms on the table, catching the man's attention. The rash movement caused ripples to form on the surfaces of their drinks, a drop or two threatening to spill over the curved edge of the refined glass.

"I've been friends with Toru since elementary school and I can assure you that he's not that kind of person," he said. "Since we were kids, Toru has never had feelings for anyone - sure he hides his feelings most of the time, but I know he never had the desire to be in a relationship or to...," a pause, with Ryota gulping slightly in discomfort, then he continued, "...sleep around.

"Instead, he's the type who genuinely care about others, especially his friends," he continued solemnly. "In fact, before this, I met with him for a brief moment... and he said he was worried about you, when you ran off."

Taka widened his eyes. "Worried...?"

"He's been meaning to contact you, but he never got the courage to because he's afraid he might have offended you or something."

 _Sounds familiar,_ Tomoya couldn't help thinking to himself as he recalled the time Taka nearly yelled at the blond. But wait– Taka ran off? What the hell were they talking about? He simply sat there as his friends continued, clearly oblivious of what had been going on between Taka and Toru just hours before.

"I said earlier that Toru has never been interested in romance, but if you told him how you feel, perhaps he might just change his mind," Ryota assured, flashing a small smile. He was hoping he could use this opportunity to bring his two friends together at last.

Taka slowly averted his gaze, giving a nervous laugh. "That's easy for you to say..."

The smile on Ryota's face disappeared in no time, and soon Taka's gaze was reduced to the floor while the others simply looked at him with an almost defeated look on their faces.

Tomoya proceeded to rest his chin on his palm, sighing, the edge of his lips curling slightly. "...Baka, we'll help you."

Taka looked up at his friend in surprise. "Hah?"

"When we all thought you had a thing for A~chan, we all worked hard to bring you two together," Tomoya explained calmly. "Of course, if you had continued to like her, you two would already be dating by now, and the rest of us would be drinking to celebrate.

"But if there was a possibility for A~chan to fall for you and for you two to be together, then you have just as much chance with that Toru guy," Tomoya said, smiling.

"Are you fucking serious?" Taka couldn't help the profanity that followed his excitement, slowly forming a wide grin of his own. "You'll do that for me?"

Tomoya nodded. "It can't be any different from A~chan, right?" he said. "Just that this one has a dick."

"And there's no knowing for sure that Toru has any feelings for A~chan, unless he says so himself," Ryota added.

Relief and excitement gradually overwhelming him, the brunet could only stare at them speechless, his large orbs twinkling with every second as he quickly shot up with a full grin on his face. Perhaps to most guys, it was almost unheard of to have their friends aid them in their love life, but Taka really needed this encouragement. "Yo-yoroshiku onegaishima–"

" _Ahem!_ " the man from before, his glare now frigid and harsh, cleared his throat this time, and the students quickly bowed again and made their apology.

In a short while the guys were already making their leave, wishing each other goodbyes and a good evening before they parted ways to head home. Ryota walked to the train station alone, his hands tucked into his pockets as he mentally reminded himself that he needed to apologise to Toru for leaving so suddenly, especially when he'd needed his company.

Watching the gravel on the road beneath him, he thought back about the events in the café, and he couldn't help smirking to himself as he did so.

It really did feel like middle school all over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Badly written chapter that I rushed through before I get overwhelmed by assignments. I really apologise!  
> I honestly hope no one has forgotten about me. ; ; So much to do in uni, and at times I'm torn between updating Lockheart and planning another Toruka fic. Also I've been watching cartoons to forget about reality, but that's not important ww.  
> Had to cut out a lot from this chapter because otherwise it sounded like something out of a romance manga, ehehe (Taka is so easy to please).
> 
> Really grateful to those who have been supporting me despite my lack of activity. I'll try to update more often if I can because I love you guys. ; o ;  
> Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you'll continue to support me! Have a great week ahead!


	14. Chapter 14

Before any of the guys realised it themselves, the weekends had past quickly, and they were already to return to college.

With assignments piling up over one another, the only form of contact made between them was when Ryota apologised to his best friend for leaving so suddenly – and much to his surprise, the blond reacted well to it, nodding as if he understood perfectly, and said nothing more.

That was understandable, even without context. Toru was in his second year after all, so naturally he had more important things to pay attention to.

At this, Ryota couldn't help feeling upset, constantly being reminded of the bitter reality that they were no longer as close as they used to be, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

And now he was facing reality again, heaving a huge sigh of relief when his lecture had finally ended, and he defeatedly dumped his course notes into his backpack before making his way out of the theatre. He looked at his wrist watch; Toru should be out by now, too, and he still had a couple of hours before his next lecture. Might as well.

He took his time walking to the smoking area of the campus, only to pause in his tracks when he spotted two familiar figures seated at the bench. _Their_ bench.

Tomoya looked up from his cigarette and noticed him immediately, waving for him to come over.

Ryota couldn't help noticing a familiar scene as he walked closer to them, the sight of Taka becoming clearer with every step, the gloomy clouds shrouding the brunet's countenance as he faced the ground beneath them.

_Not again._

"Doushitan?"

"...My classes for the day have ended, but everyone else is too busy," he muttered, his voice barely audible with the noise from their surroundings.

"Uso!" Tomoya scolded, before turning to Ryota to explain. "It's true that his classes have ended, and right now he's just waiting to see Toru, but he's having second thoughts."

Ryota frowned. "You mean you didn't talk to him at all during the weekends?"

"I tried, okay!" the brunet whined. "But the only thing I could do was stare at my phone!"

_Just like Toru..._

"Well, his class should be over by now..." Ryota shrugged, only to pause when he turned and spotted the blond in the vicinity.

Speak of the devil.

As if by instinct, the others looked up as well, watching as the blond in question walked out of the school building, a female student following beside him, smiling while they engaged in conversation.

_Shit. Now was not the time to talk to girls, asshole..._

Tomoya and Ryota noticed the pained expression on Taka's face. It was obvious that that was the girl he'd seen the other day...

"D-don't worry!" they tried to comfort him. "She's just a classmate! Toru would never–"

But Ryota's speaking came to a quick halt when he turned back to his friend, his eyes widened as he observed the scene before him. Toru had his lips curled to form a wide grin, a foreign feature as compared to his usual, nonchalant expression he was renowned for.

He seemed to be genuinely interested in the conversation, for he was doing most of the talking now, making solid eye contact with the girl as he spoke enthusiastically.

He had that look in his eyes; sparkling, joyful, expressive – was this what Taka was referring to?

At that point Taka suddenly got to his feet, surprising the other two. "Hey," Tomoya called softly. "If you're heading home already..."

"I'm not going home," Taka replied, and he quickly began marching towards Toru and Mei, the looks of determination and confidence made obvious on his face.

"What...," was all Ryota managed, but the other simply laughed.

They watched as he approached the two, his poofy curls bouncing with every solid step he took. Toru and Mei paused in their tracks, shifting their attention to the shorter; Toru widened his eyes, making no attempt to hide his surprised expression.

There was a short conversation between them, accompanied by countless nods and smiles, and the other two couldn't help wishing to know what they were talking about. Within minutes Toru and Taka were already bidding the girl goodbye, waving as she ran back to her clique just a short distance behind them, and the guys turned to walk back to their own. Well, that was quick...

Toru stopped to stand beside Ryota, his gaze focused on the bed-headed newcomer. "Ah, this is Tomoya-san...," Ryota introduced. "Taka-san's friend."

Toru's face lit up almost instantly, and he gave a slight bow. "Yamashita Toru."

"Kanki Tomoya." The other did the same. "Yoroshiku!"

The two gave their greetings and made small introductions about themselves, while Ryota and Taka stood back, smiling, glad to see their friends getting along so well.

_"Ne, ne, I call dibs on the blond!"_

Ryota's eyes perked up at the voice coming from behind him, a different group of girls giggling, as if oblivious to how loud they were being. _  
_

_"Ehhh, you mean Toru-kun? No way~ can we share him?"_

Ryota nearly gagged. _What in the world..._ He knew Toru had always been popular, but this was the first time he was hearing a bunch of girls being so open about him. Almost as if it was deliberate... _What?_

"I need to go now," Tomoya pointed out, ending their short conversation as he mentioned that he had a lecture to attend to. The girls behind quickly moved away and left, as if they didn't want to be spotted by the guys.

They waved him goodbye as Tomoya stomped on his cigarette and made his leave – but not without giving Ryota a subtle pat on the shoulder – and he quickly ran into the building.

The other gulped. Now he was just left with Toru and Taka – _he_ was being the third wheel, which they didn't need. What they needed now – and desperately, might he add – was some time alone together so they could talk and make some progress in this near dying relationship.

"Ahahaha," he forced a laugh. "I have two hours until my next lecture, so I can't afford to just sit around; got some research to do." He jerked a thumb back in the direction of another school building further down south. "I have to leave you guys alone for now.

"You two might want to consider going somewhere else," he added solemnly. "It's too crowded here."

He squeezed his way through the couple, imitating Tomoya as he too patted both Toru's and Taka's shoulders, before walking away, ignoring the frown he knew Toru was giving him from behind.

"Uh...," Taka gulped at his attempt to speak up. "It _is_ kinda noisy here, don't you think?" Not just because they were surrounded by so many other students, but he couldn't help noticing the rising number of girls in the area...

Toru agreed. "Where would you like, then? The library?"

Taka shook his head frantically. The library was too quiet. "I have the whole day," he said, giving a small but nervous laugh. "When does your next lecture start, Toru?"

"Well, I still have an hour or so..."

"Oh..." Taka frowned, disappointed.

"But," the blond added quickly. "If you want to go outside, that's fine with me."

*********

The two soon found themselves seated at a small coffeeshop not far from campus, a coffeeshop that had been operating for generations; the kind which only catered to their neighbours, serving only plain coffee, tea, and very simple yet limited cakes. Several cliques of the older residents were seated around, their positions scattered, taking small sips of their drinks every now and again. They discussed bitterly about the politics, about the economy failing based on articles they'd read on the paper. They talked about the seventeen year old girl who lived just a couple of blocks away, heavily pregnant. They talked passionately about how useless their children were, almost disregarding the fact that they were born from their own flesh and blood.

But despite all that, there was still a hefty, almost suffocating silence that hung between the two young men as they sat across from each other, akwardly and inadvertently eavesdropping on the old folks' gossip.

Taka's eyes lingered slowly from Toru's countenance, down to his small cup of coffee; he could no longer see the dark liquid, but just the faint outline that ran from the bottom to the brim, narrowing itself at the latter, indicating that Toru had already finished it in one massive gulp.

Then he moved his gaze to his own drink – following the blond, he, too, had ordered a cup of coffee, though he wasn't quite sure why. He focused on its stagnant surface, so thick with ebony that if anyone told him that it had been made with soot instead of ground coffee, he would have believed them.

With both hands he lifted up the drink, bringing it closer to his lips while he tried to ignore the bitter yet inviting aroma wafting straight into his face. He hesitated no further and took a sip – and just as quickly, he cringed while his face contorted in disgust, making no sound so he suffered in silence. _Too bitter!_

Toru let out a guffaw, catching the brunet by surprise. "Doushitan?" he mocked, grinning widely as he laid back in his seat and folded his arms. "Don't you drink coffee?"

Taka couldn't ignore the massive heat filling his cheeks with embarrassment, but he couldn't say anything – not when he felt Toru's hand placed above his own, gently pushing them down until the cup rested on the table.

"You don't have to force yourself to drink if you don't want to, idiot," he scolded, but only barely, his grin having reduced to a small but warm and genuine smile.

Taka felt his heart skip a beat. _Why did he have to smile like that!?_

He blinked, trying to ignore his own feelings, and taking a second to compose himself when he remembered what they came here for in the first place. "Uh, Toru..."

"So, how's it like?" Taka froze, confused by the sudden shift in the atmosphere.

The younger leaned forward, resting his chin on a hand. "Being in a relationship, I mean," he continued. "How's it going so far?" His gaze focused on the wooden table, an apathetic expression slowly taking its place.

The other blinked. "I... I'm not..."

Toru looked up at him in surprise, expecting him to finish. "What...?"

"I'm not in a relationship."

He immediately shot up, his eyes widened. "How come? I thought, that time with A~chan...!"

"Baka." Taka rolled his eyes. "I couldn't accept her feelings." There was no response for a long while, so Taka added, "I mean, I already like someone else, so..."

Then he felt like hitting himself. _Why did I have to say that I like someone! Idiot!_

Quickly, the expression on Toru's face was lost again, and he repeated his words, "So, you already like someone..."

 _Y_ _eah, you,_ was what the other would have liked to say, but could barely move his own lips.

"What is this person like?"

It was Taka's turn to be surprised again, taken aback by the question. He remained silent, unsure of how to respond...

He wondered if he could take this opportunity to let him know of his feelings – that was how they did it in manga and movies, wasn't it?

He tried to be subtle, but not too much. "That person... is very mysterious; at first I thought I knew everything about them, but then I realised how wrong I was..." His lips twisted slightly to form a smile, he carried on, "But that's why I enjoy being with them. Every moment spent with them is an exciting experience, and I'm always learning something new about them...

"I really like them a lot." He took a deep breath. "I like..."

His voice trailed off, and he found himself heavily focusing his gaze on the blond before him; the other noticed the silence and looked up at him as well, confused at the sudden pause in his line.

"I like...," Taka tried again with the intention to finish. He had to. This could be his only chance. "I like... _To... To_ –"

" _To_...?" Toru arched a brow. "Tomoya-san?"

Taka blinked. "Huh?"

"Ah... so you've fallen for your best friend, huh...," Toru nodded slowly, as if acknowledging and understanding his situation.

"No... nonono! Chigau! You've got it all wrong!" Taka flailed, panic empowering him, it seemed like he had forgotten how to breathe.

"But you said To–"

Taka immediately got to his feet, grabbing his cup of coffee and hurling the drink in the other's direction, drenching him. "Torio-chan. It's Torio-chan! That's who I like!" He kicked his chair aside and quickly ran off, leaving the blond alone and dumbfounded, and also very sticky.

The elderly simply stared at him, making loud and rude remarks about how reckless the younger generation were nowadays.

*********

Ryota didn't know how it came to this, and he wasn't sure if he even wanted to know.

Standing before him was the tall blond, his eyes dark with both repulsion and disappointment; his blond tresses all stuck together and dripping wet, the upper half of his white tee was now a dark shade of brown. His expression was cold, trying to ignore the bewildered stares from his schoolmates as they walked past him down the hallway and whispered among themselves.

"What happened?" Ryota asked out of sympathy.

"Someone spilled coffee all over me," Toru pointed out the obvious, unamused.

The last time Ryota had seen him, he was with Taka – Did something happen when he was gone? Did they get in a fight and Taka threw coffee at him out of anger? Was Taka really that kind of person?

"And you came back... why?"

"So I can tell the old man that I can't attend his class," Toru referred to his lecturer. He gestured towards the sticky mess he was in. "If he doesn't let me go after seeing me like this, then he can go kiss my ass."

A swear escaped his lips, his tone now harsh and bitter, and for a brief second Ryota recognised his childhood friend in this demeanour, like a flashback just played through his head.

It was amazing, how just one person was capable of changing his friend...

"By the way...," Toru added, bringing Ryota's attention back to him. The blond let out a small sigh. "Taka-chan told me that he isn't dating A~chan after all."

Ryota's face lit up. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"I guess." Toru nodded. "But... he added that he already likes someone else."

The other was shocked. "Hah?"

"We were on the topic of relationships... and then he told me that he liked Torio-chan."

Ryota almost choked on his own spit. _Torio-chan!? What kind of a name was that?_ To think he must have been so embarrassed that he had to give a false name... that sounded very much like Taka.

"You know 'em?" Toru arched a brow, and his friend laughed inwardly.

"I might."

"Then, show 'em to me sometime," the blond replied. "He threw the coffee all over me when he admitted that."

"He was probably just embarrassed," Ryota remarked, making no effort to hide his own shameless grin. _Man, Toru had no idea..._

"Well, he must like them a fucking lot to be _that_ embarrassed..." Toru scratched the back of his neck, a distant look in his orbs that seemed almost lost and disappointed.

Ryota gave a long sigh. _They both think they're in an unrequited love..._

The blond soon caught sight of a student nearby, recognising him as a fellow classmate from his next lecture, and instantly he was reminded of why he came back to college in the first place. "I'll catch you later," he said quickly, bidding his friend goodbye before leaving, following after the student, but not too closely, to the theatre.

Ryota watched until they were both out of sight, before shaking his head and leaning his back against the wall. He was tired, even though he knew he had no reason to be. Even when he left the couple alone, there had been no progress. He wasn't sure he knew what was going on any more; every time they tried to solve a problem, another one seemed to pop out of nowhere...

"You were there all along, weren't you?" he called, frowning, and it wasn't long before a particular figure with his poodle curls popped out of nowhere, having hidden himself quite well in the corner. Ryota wasn't surprised to see the idiot cowering there in silence.

Taka looked up at him, flashing a hopeful yet nervous grin, tucking his hands into his pockets as he spoke, "I... I managed to talk to him–"

A hard hit on the head with a pile of course notes, Ryota scolded him, "Aho! You just made the situation worst!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomo needed some screen time in this chapter since he won't be appearing for the next few ww. Impromptu changes galore!  
> Not much to say about this chapter... except that I rushed through the end because I just realised that I have some work due tonight and I haven't even started it. ; ; (I've just been told a few moments ago, I'm not a bad student I swear)  
> Oh, but I'm excited for the next few chapters... so I hope you all are, too!  
> "Doushitan" is "doushita no" in Ryota's and Toru's dialect, basically means "What's wrong?"
> 
> Thanks to those who have been supporting me. I love you all so much, really really ; o ; I hope you'll continue to be by my side ; ;  
> Thank you so much for taking the time to read this chapter as well! And I hope you enjoyed it!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will be all about Taka's feelings for Toru. Originally supposed to be written from Toru's perspective, I realised it would be hard to make sense of the next few chapters if I had done that, therefore I felt that this change was necessary. Hope it won't bore you guys ; ;

It didn't matter to him that he was skipping the next lecture. It didn't matter to him that he'd just been yelled at. It didn't matter if it affected his attendance. Right now the only thing that mattered to him was that he needed to get home, he needed some time to think about the conversation he had just moments before.

 _So Taka wasn't dating A~chan..._ In normal circumstances, Toru would be happy. But to find out that he still liked someone else...

Toru heaved a sigh. Was this how his admirers felt whenever he rejected them?

It wasn't that Toru was completely discouraged; if anything, he was more than determined. He just needed to up his game and work even harder to get Taka's attention, but how was he going to do that, if Taka already had his attention on someone else?

At this point the blond was starting to get frustrated, and the coffee-stained clothes that were sticking onto his skin weren't helping. The stale, bitter odour was getting stronger every second and only attracted weird looks from the other students, and Toru for the first time in his life was starting to hate the fact that coffee existed.

He couldn't wait to get home so he could wash up and just lie in bed to sleep; sleep did seem very inviting right now... Being able to bury his face into the pillow, to forget about all his problems.

And just forget about Taka in general...

 

*********

Meanwhile, just a distance down the hallway, Ryota was fuming, glaring at the brunet in disbelief while he continued to scold him. "All we wanted was for you to apologise to him for running away. How did you end up making matters worse!?"

Taka lifted a finger as if to point out a fact. "Actually, I haven't really apologised to him yet–"

Another hard hit on the head came. "Are you an idiot!?" Ryota raised his voice. "Honestly, do you want me to just tell him about your feelings so we can clear the misunderstanding–"

"No, no!" Taka shook his head quickly in panic. "I want to tell him myself!"

"Then work on it!" Ryota added. "You need to stop idling around if you're really serious about your feelings for him."

"That's easy for you to say." The other rolled his eyes. "Like you had to talk to the person you like and confess to them."

Ryota paused, staring at the other with a near defeated expression, as if he was just about to give up on him, before sighing and shaking his head. "We've all been there, even me. But this is your problem, not mine." He frowned. "What you just said is completely irrevelant. Again, the plan was for you to apologise, not confess."

Taka blinked, pursing his lips as he averted his gaze, not daring to say another word.

"But that's what you want, isn't it? Then if I were you, Taka-san, I would go find him right now and tell him my feelings." A confused expression coming from the brunet, Ryota continued, "If I'm not wrong, Toru's most likely on his way home right now because _a certain someone_ threw coffee all over him."

Taka gulped subconsciously, knowing he was completely responsible for that. "Can I still catch up with him?"

The younger flashed a warm, reassuring grin, patting his shoulder slightly. "Everything will work out," he said. And he meant every word.

Taka barely took a moment to bow or even thank him for the advice. Right as they were done, he immediately turned and started running down the hallway, straight to entrance of the campus, ignoring everyone who tried to call for him while he ran past.

He was in a dire need to see Toru right now. Apologies and formalities could wait; right now all he wanted was to have him accept his feelings, even if that meant having to announce it in front of hundreds of other people.

While he made his way to the train station, he couldn't help wondering how things would turn out, how he would even try as much as to confess to him... _"Actually, Toru, I've liked you for a really long time,"_ or, _"Toru, please be my Torio-chan,"_ or, _"Sorry Toru, but my love for you is even stronger than that coffee stench."_

Taka kicked himself mentally after each line. _What the heck..._ Those were all terrible! Come on, what happened to the Taka who was so good at sweet-talking and getting the attention he craved for so easily? Did that only work with girls?

Beating himself over his lame pickup lines, the brunet reached the station in no time, coming to a slow stop as he approached the gantry. He couldn't help feeling a little uneasy; perhaps it was because this was one of the rare times when the station was empty, but there was something about the atmosphere here that felt... different.

He paused, turning to look at his surroundings before noticing a small crowd of teenage girls and young ladies huddled together around a store. The brunet squinted his eyes to get a better view, to notice the pastel-coloured interior past a wide, transparent glass, the place largely decorated with trinkets of all sizes.

Taka blushed and laughed nervously to himself. He knew exactly what that place was... and had vowed to never return there ever again. The crowd of girls giggling to themselves was enough to drive him away.

Even so, the peculiar sight still made him feel obligated to approach them. For a moment, he forgot about Toru; for a moment, he was just curious to see who the girls were swooning over this time.

He walked towards the accessories store, cautious, careful not to bring the girls' attention to him. From college students to junior high ones, the girls were excitedly squealing and whispering amongst themselves, covering their wide grins behind their small, dainty hands. _  
_

_"What's he doing here?"_

_"Buying a gift for his girlfriend?"_

_"Ehhh– I wish that was me~"_

Taka laughed inwardly, feeling sorry for whoever the handsome young man was who was shopping in the store. _I know exactly how you feel..._

Before he knew it, the brunet found himself at the very front of the crowd, his palms and face plastered against the glass. He took a look inside – everything remained the same from his last visit, with round tables filled with cute rings and ear studs, while hanging on the walls were the long, unnecessarily large necklaces and bracelets. The shine reflected off of them altogether was nearly enough to make Taka leave the place immediately–

But then what he saw next made him want to jump and scream along with the other girls; that slim but lean build that brought out his physical features so well, hey, that seemed a bit too familiar. That strong jawline perfectly tracing his countenance, Taka had seen that somewhere before. And the blond tresses that swayed with every turn, could it be...?

 _Toru!_ Taka's heart was beating rapidly, his fingers attempting to claw the glass window. What was Toru doing here!?

He noticed the blond had on a different outfit by now, a simple black shirt with a short scarf tied around his neck, and a handful of paper bags hanging carelessly from his fingers. Of course he'd gone to change himself; who could stand walking around in those sticky clothes?

The sight got Taka thinking; should he just wait for Toru now that he'd found him? After all, his plan was to talk to him, to tell him about...

Taka could barely stop his own chain of thoughts before the heat creeped up his cheeks, and he lowered his head, not wanting anyone to catch him in such an infatuated state.

But the girls' screaming brought his head up again, wanting to see what the commotion was about–

–only to meet the gaze of the blond.

Eye to eye, they looked right at each other, a jolt of warmth and excitement running through their veins simultaneously.

His pupils dilating, Taka felt like he would swoon and fall into the sea of girls behind him. Did he see right? Toru was looking at him, right?

 _"Kyaaaaa~! He's looking this way!"_ the girls squealed. _"He looked at me, he looked at me!"_

 _"No way, I'm sure he looked in_ my _direction!"_

Resisting the urge to laugh, Taka kept his gaze, surprised while he watched Toru picking an accessory and rushing to pay at the counter. _  
_

_"Ehh, he's getting something!"_

_"What did he get! I want to buy the same thing!"_ the girls continued screaming, jumping with joy and excitement while still remaining in their places, while Taka remained frozen, examining the blond's every move. The screams got louder even after he made payment - blushing cashier aside - and made his way to exit the store, walking closer to where the girls stood.

The girls contained their noise when Toru stepped out, all eyes fixed on him, hopeful but also anxious. Over his tall build, Toru ignored all gaze and fixed his own on the brunet, who remained still, staring at him. The blond made an attempt to push through the crowd, though the girls were more than willing to step aside, leaving Taka exposed and confused, and also very afraid.

Not only was he in full view of Toru, but all the other girls were watching them, too. Taka pursed his lips; what was going on? What was Toru going to do? Should he have stepped aside as well?

But he barely had the time to react when Toru moved to him, grabbing his wrist and pulling him forward; he stumbled, but was quickly stopped and held by the blond, his other arm wrapped tightly around his waist – and their lips tightly pressed against one another.

Wait. This time Taka truly stiffened, overwhelmed by the wave of excitement that ran through his body for just a split second. _What._ He made no other movement but widen his eyes, staring at the other's blond strands, staring at the girls around them.

_What!?_

"Eeeehhh–!" the girls exclaimed in shock at the sight before them, quivering as they covered their wide mouths with their hands.

The kiss lasted only a brief moment, and Toru soon pulled himself away, staring down at the brunet with eyes void of expression. And this only confused the elder even more; why wasn't he reacting!? _  
_

_"Kyaaaa~! What did I just see?"_

_"That was so hot!"_

_"Someone should make a manga out of this!"_ Their screams now even louder than before, they had their cell phones whipped out, either trying to capture the moment on camera or screaming about it on social media.

"Tch..." Toru tightened his grip on Taka's wrist, who for a moment had forgotten that he was still holding on to him. He looked up, only to be yanked forward again, forced to run away from the girls and towards the train station, where safety was more prominent.

With the squeals getting louder behind them, neither of them made an attempt to even turn behind to see if they were being followed. They simply continued running, the urge to escape even stronger than the tight pain on the brunet's wrist. Taka struggled to keep up with the other's pace, his mind still preoccupied with the events that happened just moments earlier.

 _Did he just_ – _?_

 _Was it_ – _?_

 _Does it mean_ – _?_

They passed through the gantry and ran down the stairs to their platform, moving all the way to the far end; hopefully the girls hadn't seen them come this way. They made a stop to catch their breaths, panting lightly, neither of them saying a word, even though there were so many things Taka wanted to say right now.

He only came because he wanted to present his feelings... How did it lead to this?

Taka tried to steady his breathing. Though the place was well air-conditioned, his face was damp with sweat, a bright crimson accompanied by heat. Was it from the running, or...?

A quick, huge gust of wind blowing his curls behind, Taka looked up to see their train arriving and resting at their platform.

Toru made no effort to wait for the passengers to alight, immediately stepping into the car of the train, squeezing his way through to the other end, his grip still tight on the brunet. The train didn't stay long at the platform; it was lunch hour, and the vehicle was already packed as it was, more than what the guys were used to on their way to and from college.

The train began to move, a little unsteady at first, but soon reached a steady pace, and everyone went back to their own devices – even Taka, with his mind. He was almost completely occupied with his own thoughts, constantly thinking about what had happened earlier, unable to grasp the reality of the situation. Did that really happen?

"Oi, listen..." Toru's deep voice caught him by surprise, and he looked up at him in response. The blond brought up a hand and awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, a couple of rough fingers holding on to the corners of the familiar, pretty packaging...

"Sorry..," Toru started, albeit refusing to look the other in the eye. "About what happened earlier."

"N-not at all!" Taka shook his head, but gave a small, nervous laugh. "I was just... shocked, that's all." Honestly, he didn't mind it.

Toru had his gaze fixed on the passenger in front of him now, a middle aged lady with a thick, furry scarf that almost camouflaged with her trench coat. "Don't think anything stupid," he said, attempting to sound playful. "I only did it because I thought it would shut them up, but..." Toru frowned at the failure of his own plan, recalling the group of girls screaming over him just moments ago.

"I- I see..." Another forced laugh, and Taka slowly turned away as well. So... that meant the kiss wasn't genuine? That he only did it so the girls would leave him alone?

Bringing his attention back to the packaging, Taka could do nothing to stop his heart from sinking. "What did you buy that for?" he felt obliged to ask, though he was afraid of the answer.

"This?" Toru stared at it, as if contemplating his response. "I bought it for someone I like."

"...Oh," was all that escaped the brunet's lips, staring at the other with a blank but also disappointed expression. Did Toru just admit... that he liked someone?

Could it really be A~chan after all?

His worries only increased greatly when he felt the warmth leaving his wrist, looking down to find the absence of the other's hand. "Sorry," Toru apologised. "I was probably hurting you."

Taka shook his head. Admittedly it was tight and it hurt, but he still enjoyed his touch. It made him feel secure, made him feel wanted.

If only Toru held onto him for a little longer.

"I'll be okay from here," the blond added, once again looking away. "You should head home, then. Sorry for dragging you all the way here–"

 _No!_ Taka was not going to let go of this opportunity. "I wanted to see you, actually," he quickly barged in. "There's something I need to tell you."

There was a short silence, the blond finally facing him, arching a brow questioningly. "You can't say it here?"

"It's... more on the personal side, so I was wondering if we could talk about it at your place." With the younger still staring at him, he quickly added, "If you don't mind, that is."

"...Sure," Toru agreed quietly, yet rather easily, surprising even the brunet. "But let's do it after I take a shower."

Taka nodded, understanding his situation. He gave a smile, glad and relieved – but he couldn't help but gulp, his heart skipping a beat nervously deep inside him, knowing there was no way he could back out now.

Their train ride continued without a word while Taka drowned himself in his own thoughts again. He noticed it of course; he noticed the silence between them, he noticed how awkward it felt to even be around the younger these days, but chose to say nothing. And this confused him greatly; it was so easy to talk to Toru before this, so why was it so difficult now? What changed?

Ever since he admitted his feelings for him, to his friends and to himself, ever since he drunk himself unconscious, Taka would always feel his heart reacting oddly, his chest feeling heavy, while his cheeks flushed with heat and his guts leapt about inside of him. He didn't recall reacting so ridiculously when he'd fallen for others, so why were they happening only now?

He wasn't even sure if he'd made the right decision, he wasn't sure if Toru should know of his feelings for him.

Despite his tough demeanour, Toru was caring and yet alluring, there was absolutely zero reason to dislike him. And yet Taka was mad at himself. Why did he have to fall for him, when it was making everything so awkward between them, and it was so difficult to even talk to him for a second?

If that was the case, then Taka didn't want to be in love with Toru any more. He wanted to go back to those days when they could easily talk about anything and laugh together with ease... but even back then, he had probably already fallen for him, hadn't he?

Taka thought about those times; he recalled going all the way to buy the cross charm for him, not just because he genuinely felt bad for breaking his previous one, but because he really just wanted to see Toru again. He thought about how happy he felt when Toru called him Mori-chan just like his friends, how close they had been in that alley, and how he felt over the moon when Toru called him by his first name.

When they exchanged numbers, he couldn't help feeling curious to see what Toru saved his contact as, and was elated when Toru addressed him as 'Taka-chan'. And when he followed Toru to the washroom at that noodles store, if it hadn't been for that misunderstanding... all he wanted to do was to ask him about A~chan.

Thinking back now... he was convinced that he might have already fallen for him since the very beginning.

His thinking was cut short when they arrived at their destination, Toru leading him out of the vehicle and into the streets. As they made their move, Taka heaved a sigh of relief – but he couldn't ignore the anxiety that was building inside him, either. He couldn't do this. He needed more time. Damn it, why did Toru have to live so close to college!?

The two walked past the shopping districts, evading the crowds and entering a large neighbourhood that was far quieter and lonelier than the busy streets. Elderly was more frequent in these areas, the younger generations occasionally being spotted playing basketball or cycling to their own homes. Plump balls of stray cats strutted lazily around, finding shade under benches, escaping the quiet reality.

They walked past several rows of apartment buildings, before finally coming to a stop at the far end of the neighbourhood, right before a teal-coloured apartment building that was of medium height.

Toru greeted the security guard and led his friend to the elevator; the journey felt long and uncomfortable, once again accompanied by their silence. Neither of them said anything even after they got out and walked down the corridor to Toru's door, unlocking it with a bunch of heavy keys.

Stepping into the apartment after a greeting, Taka quickly scanned the area, being the neat freak that he was. The place looked pretty much the same as he had left it the last time, ignoring the pile of notes beside the mattress, the mountain of clothes on the couch, and the empty cups of instant noodles resting on the floor... Okay, nope. It was completely different, back to its original messy state. Probably even messier.

Before Taka could mention anything about it, Toru was already gone, locking the washroom door behind him and leaving the brunet confused and alone outside.

The latter stared at the walls in silence, the sounds of the shower echoing through the place, steaming hot water running quickly down the blond's body, swirling into a small whirlpool when they reached the floor. Taka could hear him moving about, fiddling with shampoo bottles, leaving the water still running.

He noticed how the door was frosted and translucent, typical of what you'd expect from a cheap apartment – and if Taka focused hard enough, he could see the silhouette of Toru's body moving, grabbing the soap, washing himself in the shower–

 _No._   _No!_ His face now blushing deeply, Taka frantically shook his head to drive that thought away. He shouldn't even be thinking about such things right now!

Restless, he began to walk around, looking through things he knew he shouldn't even touch, subconsciously clearing the mess as he did so. He picked up the empty cups and disposed of them in the trash; _how was he going to relay his feelings to Toru later?_ He neatly stacked the study notes together; _when should he relay his feelings?_ _Right after Toru got out of the shower?_ He walked to the pile of clothes and fumbled through every single piece of fabric, even digging his hands into the pockets and pulling out whatever was left inside them; _should he confess immediately, or over a drink?_

"F-fuck!" a sudden and harsh gasp coming from the washroom caught the brunet's attention. Throwing the pair of trousers he was holding back onto the couch, he immediately ran to the doors, placing a hand subconsciously on them.

"Toru?" he called. "Toru, are you all right?"

There was no response. Taka simply stood there, ear placed right next to the door waiting for the blond to say something, but he didn't. With a click, the noise of running water came to a slow stop, and that was when Taka took a step back, eyes widened, knowing the blond was going to come out any moment now.

In a few seconds, he was going to see Toru again. And he was going to have to speak to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was so boring ; ; I hope the kiss made up for it, ahaha!  
> Shall return to Toru's perspective in the next chapter! Though it will be rather short... and the chapter after that will be extremely long (like, EXTREMELY). Gosh, I need to sort these things out.
> 
> Well, that's all I have for today. As usual, thanks so much to those who continue to support me (I don't normally mention these things, but the previous chapter brought in so much response, and it made me really really happy. I seriously love you guys ; o ; ). I hope you'll continue to be with me until the end, because we're getting pretty close!  
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you for taking the time to read it as well. Until next time!
> 
> Also, Happy Chinese New Year to those who celebrate it! And may all of you have a prosperous year and good health and plenty of food to eat. ' v '


	16. Chapter 16

For once, he was glad he didn't bring the broken charm along that day.

Undressing himself and dumping the filthy clothes into the sink, Toru stepped into the shower afterwards, turning the heater on. He turned the shower tap and immediately a large volume of hot water poured out, hard and endless, hot steam rising up to the ceiling as the seconds passed. He moved forward, drenching himself, the shower raining unto his nude body.

He simply stood there at first, watching as droplets of water dripped subsequently from his blond strands, trickling down the surface of his pale yet glistening naked skin.

The scent of coffee that was stuck on him got stronger and he cringed; he'd never hated coffee so much before this.

Once he was completely soaked, he reached out and grabbed a bottle of shampoo, a cheap one he had gotten from the convenience store just downstairs. He squeezed a generous amount out of the bottle before spreading them all over his scalp. With his hair washed, he proceeded to scrubbing his own body clean with a bar of soap, small and thin from its overusage.

He made sure to pay special attention to his torso, the parts affected the most; and watched as the suds and soap bubbles traveled down his body, spiraling into a tiny whirlpool on the tiles below.

Even though he was now thoroughly clean, Toru couldn't ignore the constant, heavy feeling on his chest, as if something was still sitting on him, and he found himself sighing.

But why? What was bothering him so much? Was it because Taka was here? To be honest, he was happy that Taka had come over for a talk. But what were they going to talk about? Torio-chan? Or perhaps he was joking and would admit that he was really dating A~chan all this time?

The atmosphere around them had been awkward since that afternoon, since he and Taka...

His cheeks burning up, admittedly he agreed to his own excuse; he did kiss him partially to get the girls there to be quiet, but he couldn't deny there was an ulterior motive behind it...

Thinking back, the blond had been pretty cowardly, immediately backing out after he felt the touch of Taka's lips on his own, having to use such a lame excuse afterwards...

But he'd been lying so much, always hiding his true feelings behind a mask for nearly his whole life... and he couldn't afford to do it forever. Ever since he bumped into Taka, he became aware of the changes he went through, and he knew it wasn't just him; even Ryota noticed it as well.

Despite already having a best friend... Toru finally learnt what it felt like to genuinely worry and care for someone, he learnt to be sensitive; he learnt the feeling of rejection, how girls would feel after having their own hearts broken by him – he had that exact same feeling when he learnt about A~chan and Torio-chan.

And most important of all... he learnt to experience the anxious feeling of being in love, of being with someone he liked; his heart beating quickly, his face blushing crimson – and all these, because of Taka...

If he hadn't had a charm in the first place, he wouldn't have met Taka. If it hadn't been broken by that idiot, he wouldn't have experienced these feelings. If it had been a stranger who broke it, it wouldn't be the same – it was all thanks to Taka.

Toru could at first only feel his entire body being constrained and bringing him close to suffocation, as if tied down by chains with a keyless padlock. He felt like he held the role of a chastity belt protecting the virginity of his heart, locking up all his feelings behind them.

And now, very much like his charm, the moment it had fallen and broken into a bunch of smaller pieces – the old and rusty chains around his heart seemed to have broken as well. When the charm shattered into pieces, so did his heart, and now the emotions he'd kept inside were flowing everywhere, filling up every empty space inside him, infecting him like a disease.

Was this what it felt like to be in love? Was he really capable of such emotions that hadn't made their presence known for nearly his entire life?

"F-fuck!" he screamed in frustration, hitting the wall hard with a wet fist, clenching his teeth. He didn't understand why he was contemplating so hard over this; he already said once that he couldn't really say that his feelings for Taka were real – so how can he be so sure that it was love?

But like his best friend had said back then; love could be funny like that. And if it was love, then it was fate – somehow, a part of the blond knew, no words needed, that this was indeed love.

"Toru?" the muffled voice from outside rang through the shower walls, the faint silhouette of a hand reflecting on the frosted door. "Toru, are you all right?"

Toru wanted to respond, but quickly decided against it; he didn't know what to say, anyway. He wasn't sure if he was fine, he wasn't sure if he was just going crazy. Turning the shower off, he wiped himself dry with a towel, before getting dressed in a set of new clothes he'd brought in, slicking his blond hair backwards.

The towel draped lightly over his shoulder, Toru opened the door, stepping into the apartment to find Taka standing just a few steps before him, his hands tucked deep into his pockets. He looked at Taka and Taka looked at him, eyes wide with worry, a hint of fear slightly present in his gaze. For a second, Toru's heart fluttered; to see Taka physically worrying about him, it made the blond a little... happy.

"Taka," he called firmly, shifting his gaze to the floor beneath them. "I... need to talk to you."

Taka blinked. "Uh, yeah, me too..."

"You go first," the other said, throwing his damp towel to the nearest counter, half of the cloth hanging lazily, threatening to fall over and bring the rest of it down to the floor. "That's what you came here for in the first place, right?"

They walked to the couch, neither of them barely taking a seat when Toru suggested a little drink. Filling a couple of mugs with sweetened tea from the fridge, the brunet helped carry them to the couch, though simply out of courtesy.

The both of them took a seat, keeping a considerable distance between them. Neither said anything at first, simply clearing their throats or sipping their tea, unsure of how to start; Toru found himself stealing glances in the elder's direction, expecting him to begin first.

Meanwhile Taka was struggling with himself, having the biggest difficulty to look the other in the eye, and keeping his own gaze fixed on the short coffee table before them. "Um," he started, no doubt a little hesitant. "Toru, this is something I've been wanting to say for a very long time."

Toru arched a brow, curious, and let the other continue, "It's just... Lately I realised that I've been doing a lot of things without thinking, so they lack rationale..." Taka shrugged. "I don't really know why... I just tend to do them without thinking."

 _Tell me about it,_ the blond thought, his attention now trailing off and drifting away.

_"The other day, when I bumped into you on the train..."_

He thought about his actions, he thought about what he'd done earlier that day. He simply came across that store... He couldn't help catching sight of a familiar cross charm standing so proudly in the displays, and before he knew it he already found himself inside, looking through the accessories – with only one person in mind.

_"And you know, I thought, this feeling..."_

Then, as if something came over him, he bought that charm, and after that, meeting Taka outside the store...

"Oi, idiot, are you even listening to me?" Toru's chain of thoughts were immediately cut short when the elder's voice shot through his ears, and he blinked, obviously dazed and surprised.

"Uh...," was all he could manage, presenting a blank expression as he turned to face the brunet.

Taka laughed softly, shaking his head. "Forget it; you weren't paying attention after all..."

He turned away, lowering his gaze, and though he tried to mask his disappointment, Toru didn't fail to see the pained expression on his face, an array of hurt and melancholy.

 _Way to go, blondie,_ Toru thought sarcastically, frustrated even at himself.

There was a long pause, neither of them saying anything, simply staring at the four walls around them with their backs facing each other. Toru flashed himself a long frown, mentally hitting himself over his idiocy. Whatever Taka had just said, it must have been something really important, considering how he decided to come all the way here.

And he mentioned it was personal... What could it be? Family problems? Did he ask for advice? Toru didn't dare ask the other to repeat his words; how could he? He'd just shown how atrocious of a friend he was by not even listening to a single word he just said.

Toru's gaze wandered to the sight of the pretty package on the coffee table, holding a charm he'd bought from the accessories store earlier that day. He stared at it for a long time, pondering over its use, recalling the reason why he'd bought it in the first place.

Eventually he leaned forward and grabbed the package, and without even a second of hesitation he shoved it in the other's direction, forcing the package into his hands. Taka could only look up at him, his eyes wide in confusion, lips quivering as he struggled to find the words to speak.

Toru got to his feet, oblivious to the brunet as he grabbed his keys. "I'm sorry," he said. "But I'm going to have to kick you out."

"What...?"

"I have someone coming over tonight, so I need to get ready." That was a lie.

Taka nodded, standing up from the couch, looking around him to make sure he hadn't left anything behind, his small but rough fingers clutching tightly onto the package as he held it close to his chest. He was led to the door, trying as best as he could not to even face the blond, though he wasn't sure why.

"Th-thanks for letting me come over," he managed to utter.

Toru made no response, simply turning the knob and pulling the metal door open. "I'm sorry I have to rush you out like this."

Taka shook his head. "Not at all. Actually, I already made plans to have dinner with Tomoya soon, so..." That was also a lie.

He forced a grin, stepping out of the apartment; though reluctant, he couldn't wait to get out of that place either.

They barely bid each other goodbye before Toru slammed the door shut, not caring that the elder was still left standing outside, confused and flustered. He waited until he heard the sounds of footsteps down the corridor, getting fainter with every step, until they no longer reached his ears.

The smile that had been plastered on his face disappeared immediately, and he quickly turned, walking back and plopping himself onto the mattress; he buried his face in the pillow, holding back the tears of melancholy and indignity as he bit his lip until it bled.

*********

For the next few days, it didn't take even the brightest of students to notice the obvious awkward atmosphere that followed the two guys, wherever they went.

Toru and Taka could barely look each other in the eye; heck, they couldn't even stand being in each other's presence for more than a few seconds. And even if they did, they only made small, short conversations, usually irrelevent and pointless.

 _"Were they in a fight?"_ the other students couldn't help gossiping every time they caught a sight of them. _"Maybe one of them is already dating..."_

The only other person that really knew what was going on between them was none other than Ryota – recalling the conversation he had with his best friend when he was called over to his apartment the previous weekend. He recalled how he reacted when he learnt of what happened between the other two, and though he spent quite some time hitting and lecturing his friend over how big of an idiot he was, he couldn't deny that he felt inwardly happy, glad that his friends were making progress in their possible relationship, even if it was going a bit quicker than he expected.

...Or so he thought.

He sighed, slapping his palm hard against his forehead while he watched his friends – perhaps it would be best if he didn't watch them at all.

Taka looked dazed most of the time, seemingly preoccupied, looking in the far distance as if he'd just been detached from reality. He probably was; he was never aware of where he was going or what he was doing, often walking into walls and even once got chased out and reprimanded severely by a group of young ladies for stepping into their lavatory. Accidentally, of course.

On the other hand there was Toru, and unlike the brunet, he was far more expressive – when he wasn't running his fingers through his blond tresses, he was pulling onto them with both hands, gritting his teeth and groaning occasionally every few moments as if he'd just been reminded of something embarrassing he did in his childhood.

Ryota frowned to himself now, folding his arms as he watched the two men walked past without saying a word to each other, much less stealing a glance. Just what the hell was going on in both their heads? What came over Toru that led him to do what he did? Why was Taka avoiding him and not doing anything!?

In the midst of his thinking, the young man didn't fail to hear the quick, faint sounds of footsteps coming towards him, getting louder as they did, and before he could react, he received a hard smack on his back, accompanied by a bellow. "This is for violating Mori-chan!"

Ryota winced in pain as he stretched a hand to touch his back, and he shot Tomoya a look. "What are you talking about?"

"Mori-chan told me what happened between him and Toru-san." He arched a brow at the other. "So did the blondie tell you, or is he being silent again?"

"Relax, he did...," Ryota assured him. "But if you wanted to smack someone for ruining your friend's innocence, go and hit him instead, not me."

"You were responsible for him." Tomoya narrowed his eyes. "What's going on between them, anyway?"

Ryota shrugged simply. "Can't even breathe the same air for more than a few seconds, apparently." And it was true.

The elder scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Tell me about it. Taka's been so unresponsive and never says anything now; all he does is stare into space and bump into everything."

Ryota crossed his arms, his brows furrowed slightly as he thought seriously, pondering over something. "There must be a reason for this... Why is Taka being so nervous, when he already has feelings for Toru?"

Tomoya did the same, bringing a finger to his chin as he began to think as well. The both occupied themselves with thoughts and possible theories for their friends' behaviours, shooting suggestion after suggestion afterwards, anything that came to their mind.

"Maybe it happened too quickly?"

"Do you think he's confused about his feelings...?"

"You mean he has feelings for A~chan after all?"

"Or maybe..."

*********

In another building, the blond walked alone, crossing the hallway with his gaze fixed on the floor beneath him the whole time, watching the tiles between each step. He paid no attention to anyone that tried to call for him or even look his way; thankfully they were all willing to move aside, allowing him to walk straight ahead without having to be stopped or bumping into anyone.

In this state, Toru couldn't stop thinking about the events that happened before the weekend, mentally kicking himself over them. 

 _Why did I do it? Why did I do it!?_ He shouldn't have done that, he shouldn't have even done as much as grab Taka's hand or even kiss him when he had the urge to; he should have just remained stubborn and reserved like he was before. This was his first time expressing his feelings so openly to just one person, and even he screwed that up. Brilliant, just brilliant.

He knew it bothered the other party; he knew he had already ruined their friendship, what little form of relationship they had before everything happened. Taka faced no difficulty expressing his disinterest; time spent around him was always awkward and terrifying, and Taka would always leave within seconds of seeing him, not even wanting to look at him. Any possibility Toru thought he had with him – it was all gone now.

With the way he was acting in his presence right now, Toru frowned, clenching his fists in frustration and also sadness. He knew now that Taka didn't feel the same way towards him; he hadn't even said a word to him about the charm he bought... and now he was avoiding him all the time. Heck, he might have even lost all respect he had for the blond, no longer wanting to be associated with the latter.

Toru heaved a deep, heavy sigh, running his hand through his locks. This was getting so complicated... why couldn't he have conveyed his feelings differently? Why did it have to be a kiss!? And why couldn't he have listened to whatever Taka had to say that day!? If any one of his admirers had come up to him and kissed him suddenly in an attempt to confess, Toru would want to avoid them too!

From his scalp, he ran the hand down his face in exasperation, his fingers soon coming to a slow stop when he felt them rest on his lips. He pressed gently against them, finding his thoughts traveling back to that fateful day, recalling every second he spent with his lips on the brunet's.

Taka's full lips being extremely soft and delicate, it was pretty hard to believe that the pair didn't belong to a girl. And it was so enticing, so inviting; Toru would have kissed him longer if he could.

Realising how heavy his cheeks were, Toru brought himself back to the present, his face now an intense shade of red – and in the middle of the hallway, at that!

He let out another sigh in an attempt to regain his composure, eliminating any wild thoughts on his mind, and he began to pick up the pace. _Not good,_ he thought, silently praying that no one had been around to see him like that.

But why was it so hard to conceal his feelings now?

How did Taka even lower his guard and made him feel things he never dared to feel before?

When he cried over the loss of his mother for the first time, when he felt confused between the feelings of love and hate, and when he felt jealousy at the mentions of A~chan and Torio-chan... Taka wasn't even his to begin with, for fuck's sake!

Toru was starting to get a little tired of his life, a little tired of his mind going haywire and making him confused all the time. Expending energy over something so petty, was it really all worth it? If being in love meant having to deal with headaches and even risk losing his friendship with Taka, then Toru didn't want to be in love any more, either.

And yet, the possibility of being more than just friends with him... it still made the blond's heart flutter.

He arrived at the lecture theatre, sliding the door and stepping inside, only to find that it was still completely empty. _Too early..._ Well, he didn't have anywhere else to go, anyway. The blond slid the door closed behind him, slamming his backpack onto the desk as he took a seat in the last row. He leaned back against his seat, tucking a hand into his pocket – and immediately widened his eyes.

He shot upright in utter shock, tucking into his other pocket, then digging into his back pockets – then his backpack, throwing out every single object inside, digging through every pocket and zip he could find. _No, no, no! This couldn't be happening!_

 _It's gone!_ His breathing got significantly faster as each second passed. The broken charm! All its pieces – gone!

But how!? He was sure he kept it safely somewhere... unless he forgot to take it out of his trousers last week?

 _Fuck!_ He cursed himself, his eyes teary from fear and dejection. It must have been destroyed in the wash, or even worse, fallen out somewhere... The one memory he had left of his mother – gone. Every tiny piece no longer existent in his touch.

He hunched forward towards the desk and buried his face in his arms, his eyes getting heavy with tears; trying to hold them back again, it was starting to hurt.

In his distress, he heard the door nearby slid open, the sound of footsteps stepping into the quiet room so clear and prominent. Shit, now was not the right time...

The theatre was starting to feel colder. The blond remained his posture, hiding his face, but he could hear the footsteps now getting closer to him, louder – until they came to a stop at his seat, just inches from his own form. _Shitshitshit_. Toru made no move, ignoring the newcomer, secretly wishing that he would just leave already!

But instead he felt the person's hand brush slightly against his locks, followed by the sounds of a small trinket against the wooden desk he was resting on, just inches from his countenance.

The hand then moved to the blond, resting itself directly on the back of his head, and it took all of his strength not to tense up to the sudden touch. He felt a thumb brushing through his hair, warm and comforting, and Toru slowly relaxed, like a child being held by his mother.

The hand left the blond, and so did the newcomer, leaving him with a sentiment of sadness and isolation; if only it had stayed longer...

The footsteps sounded again, walking down the opposite direction. Toru heard the sounds of the door slide open and closed once more, and soon he found himself alone once again, seated in the corner, surrounded by emptiness. The coldness still there, it almost felt like whoever had come in earlier had gone too soon, like it disappeared into thin air.

Toru pulled himself upright again, fixing his hair and cautiously bringing his gaze down to the desk, a short, quick gasp escaping his lips.

He stared at it, at the tiny object resting so smugly on his desk – decorated with various sequins, it shone brightly under the theatre's white lights, showing off its splendour in every angle. Exquisite and yet traditional, complete with its elaborate details, it formed the familiar shape of an instrument...

A guitar...?

No way, this looked almost exactly like the charm he'd just lost–

No, this _was_ the charm! It didn't look exactly like how it was originally designed, but the shape, the materials, even the method used to piece this charm together – those were all the same!

But... _but, how!?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was so badly written; have been down with a fever the past few days, and one time I thought I was finally recovering, but today I woke up feeling worse than ever... But they all sound like excuses orz. I hope this chapter did a little bit of justice for everyone, at least!
> 
> So many questions I want to ask all of you because I'm so curious ww. What do you think Taka said at the apartment, what do you think was inside the package, hehehe.  
> We're so close to the end now! I hope I'll be well enough soon to write the next chapter properly, because I'm really excited for it!
> 
> Thanks so much to those who stuck with me until this far! ; o ; I'm really so so grateful to have each and every one of you.  
> Speaking of which, I learnt not too long ago that a reader actually drew out a scene from Chapter 8 and holy crap her drawing is adorable. Like, super adorbs. And stunning. And ah I wish I could think of nicer words to describe it but it's just too good for words okay just go see it!!!!:  
> http://taskete.tumblr.com/post/111881507331/save-as-taka-chan-spying-on-the-neighbour-huh
> 
> Thanks so much everyone for taking the time to read this, I hope it wasn't *so* bad ahaha. I love you guys!


	17. Chapter 17

The young man was walking leisurely down the hallway, whistling to himself, allowing several other students to walk past. The familiar scent of perfume wafted nearby, and he caught sight of a young lady walking quickly, the frills of her dress swinging with every big step she took. She was walking far too quickly, but who could blame her? Being around him would only make things awkward.

He caught sight of a particular student walking towards his direction, unlike the others. Noticing the blond hair, he recognised the student immediately, but he barely had any time to greet when the student grabbed him by his arm, dragging him to the corner at the far end of the hallway, where no one could see or hear them.

"Toru? Doushitan?" Ryota questioned, confused but also concerned over how his best friend seemed so flustered, his face red and damp with sweat.

An image of a familiar brunet flashed for just a split second in his mind, and immediately Ryota widened his eyes; was this something related to Taka? Did Taka finally talk to him after all?

"Dude," Toru said, now looking straight at the younger. He dug a hand into his pocket, fiddling with something before pulling it out, unveiling a small charm decorated with sequins, all in the shape of a guitar.

Okay, this was an even bigger deal than Taka. Ryota nearly choked on his own spit, struggling to find the words to speak. Now he understood why the blond was so restless. "Is that...? How did you get it fixed?"

Toru shook his head. "I thought I lost it, but then I just found it on my desk, already looking like this."

How was that even possible? Could someone really have taken it and fixed it without his knowing?

The charm still clutched in between his fingers, Toru placed both hands on the other's shoulders, tightening his grip, almost bruising him. "Ryota, do you think... my mother did this?"

The younger blinked. "Wh-what...?" _What the hell?_

"There was someone who came to my desk just now, and I felt her hand," Toru explained solemnly. "I'm certain about it – it was my mother's hand!"

"C-calm down, nii-san..." The other was honestly feeling a little scared by his behaviour now. Toru had never been this obsessed or crazy over his mother before... or any other person, for that matter! "That's impossible. If she really had the ability to come back and make physical contact with you, she would have already done it a long time ago."

Toru blinked, his demeanour now winding down as he sank back into reality. Ryota was right.

Pulling himself away from the younger, he wondered aloud, "Then, who fixed the charm and left it on my desk?"

Honestly. Ryota sighed, a little frustrated over how oblivious his friend was being. "What about Taka? Did you ask him about this?" The blond shook his head slowly, and Ryota gave a small laugh. "You know, I just got the weirdest idea."

Toru arched his brows, curious. "What?"

"Think about it, Toru-nii-san," Ryota began. "Other than me, who else knows about your charm?"

The blond was silent for a few moments, as if thinking seriously. "...Taka-chan."

The other nodded. "Uh-huh, and who else knows that you want it fixed?"

"...Taka-chan."

"And who do you think was the last person to be anywhere near your charm?"

"Taka-chan."

"You see, they all bring us back to the same person," Ryota said smugly, wagging a finger at him. "He probably wanted to fix it and surprise you with it.

"And... I think he wants to give you a message."

Toru said nothing for a long while, his gaze focused on something distant as his thoughts unravelled, one by one. Then, he clenched his fist around the charm, determined. "...You're right. I'm gonna go look for that kid, and... talk to him about it."

Ryota flashed a grin, nodding encouragingly, and he watched as Toru ran down the hallway in the opposite direction, slowly losing sight of him. The younger couldn't help feeling proud of himself; finally, things were going well; finally, things were going the way he expected them to. He was so glad that they were going to talk, after all.

But, wait... haven't things always gone wrong for the both of them? Wasn't there always that one factor that ruined any opportunity they had of being together, and just made matters worse?

Ryota twitched, and soon he found himself running after the blond; it turned out Toru might need his help after all...

*********

He ran down the hallway, out of the building, past the courtyard and entered another one, his pace by then reduced to a slow jog. With his breathing becoming slightly heavier, he slowed down and started walking instead, and eventually came to a stop. He rested a hand on the wall, the other holding his hip; drawing his shoulders forward, he took slow, deep breaths, trying to steady his breathing.

He stopped not because he was tired, but because he had come to the realisation that he had absolutely no idea where the brunet was. He didn't know what major he was enrolled in, and even if he did, the campus was far too huge, there were too many buildings. Searching for Taka would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Was he even having a lecture right now? Or was he already on his way home? Toru clenched his fists, frustrated at himself for acting so rash; wasted all that energy for nothing.

His gaze shifiting back to his fist, he opened it, uncovering the guitar charm resting so proudly on his palm. So Taka was the one who fixed it...? Toru gulped; he wasn't even sure what to say if he saw him.

He sighed, defeated, and turned to walk down the empty hallway. The kid had probably gone home... If that was the case, then Toru should head home too.

His head lowered to face the floor, it was no surprise when Toru bumped into another student walking the opposite direction, but he disregarded him, having no energy left to entertain strangers.

"Mori-chan, why do you keep bumping into people...?"

The blond instantly looked up. _Mori-chan?_

"Shut up, he'll hear you..."

Toru widened his eyes; that _was_ Taka! He turned immediately, his face lighting up as he met the gaze of two other young men, standing just a few steps away from him. And the student he just bumped into...? No doubt, it was the brunet – with his poofy curls and his petite frame, dressed in a collared shirt and a pair of trousers.

"Let's go," he demanded, but before he could even make his move, he winced, his face contorted with pain. The other student had him stay put, squeezing his arm before he could run away again.

"Like hell we're going anywhere," he said, his cheeks blushing a faint pink. "Do you know how many times I embarrassed myself in front of Nocchi just because I came late to class!?

"Look, I have someone I like too, and I want to impress her so she can like me back. Why can't you do the same!?" He slammed his hands on Taka's back, pushing the latter in front and letting him stumble head first into the blond.

Despite Taka's back facing him, the student gave a double thumbs up, before quickly running down the hallway and turning a corner. The couple needed the privacy, anyway.

Taka widened his eyes, feeling his heart beating rapidly against his chest as he focused on the person before him. From his height he could only see smooth curve of the other's neck, and he gulped. He looked up, right into the younger's orbs, his own pupils dilating.

There was a spark between them, as if something had tugged at their heartstrings simultaneously, and they immediately took a step away from each other. The blond clenched his fists, while Taka simply averted his gaze.

"Sorry for bumping into you," he said. "Again..."

The tension between them was prominent, especially after what happened at the apartment...

Toru only stared at him, an unamused expression on his face. _"O-ma-e."_

That caught the brunet by surprise; even though Toru didn't seem bright all the time, this was his first time hearing him speak so firmly...

He made no response, so Toru spoke up again, except he raised his voice this time. "Oi, omae!" he demanded. "Look at me!"

The elder obliged, clearly shaken.

Toru opened his fist, revealing the guitar charm. "You left this on my desk just now, didn't you?" The brunet nodded meekly, and Toru continued, not caring that lectures were still going on at this time, "Why did you take it from me without my knowing? Why didn't you tell me!?

"And fancy you trying to fix it on your own; it looks way off from the original!" By then, Toru was just inches away from Taka, almost shoving the charm in his face. "The original one didn't have this many jewels, you know! Are you trying to mock me!?

"If you really considered me as a friend, you would have at least considered my feelings too–"

And at that moment he stopped, because he couldn't go on any more.

It took a second for the blond to register what was happening, and when he did, he wanted to scream. But he couldn't.

He couldn't, because his lips were practically locked, shut tight by another pair. Taka's pair. 

What...

_What!?_

It felt like they'd been standing there and kissing for hours. Toru could barely move, and it wasn't just because Taka had his hands wrapped tightly around his face. He wanted to leave, he wanted to push the other away, but at the same time he wanted this moment to last forever...

It was Taka who finally pulled away, his height declining, and Toru only just realised that Taka had been standing on his tiptoes to reach him. He stared at the elder, shocked and confused. _Ah, this must have been what Taka felt like the last time..._

"What...," he managed, feeling the heat flourishing on his cheeks now. His voice was shaky, and his firm demeanour from before had died along with the absence of the other's voluptuous lips. "Why did you do that?"

Taka only looked back at him, his own gaze stern, but his lips had curled into a pout and his cheeks now sporting a deep shade of crimson. "I wouldn't have done that," he muttered, and Toru arched his brows, feeling slightly afraid of his coming words.

"I wouldn't have done that if I considered you as a friend, idiot."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Mori-chan, why do you keep bumping into people?" is something I ask myself very often while I was writing this whole fic.
> 
> Back and sicker than ever, hehe.  
> A short chapter! Because it was supposed to be a part of the previous one.  
> I hope this chapter turned out okay. I'm sorry it isn't much ; ; But I really do hope that ending will keep everyone happy until the next chapter ww.  
> Two more chapters until the end! I am looking forward to writing them! I honestly cannot believe we made it this far!
> 
> I have nothing else to say, except that I'll be publishing another Toruka fic once Lockheart is done... I'm actually very excited for this one, and I hope you guys will be, too. ; ;
> 
> Thank you so much for supporting me this whole time, everyone! I really love you ; o ;  
> And thank you for reading this chapter! Have a good day!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of sexual references in the last few paragraphs, sorry about that. If it makes you uncomfortable, the last paragraph you should read is the one that starts with "As his laughter trailed off...", then you can skip right to the final chapter!  
> That being said, please enjoy this chapter!

A quick laugh escaped his lips, shaky and nervous, but no words were exchanged. The blond only stared, his face sporting a confused and yet nervous expression, unsure of what to make out of this situation.

Taka only sighed, a hint of disappointment present in not just his eyes, but also his tone. "How many times do I have to say it until you get it?" he questioned, obviously getting tired. "I told you already... I like you.

"I really do... but it seems that every time I try to tell you, somehow you–"

His words were cut short when he was suddenly yanked forward, the blond pulling hard on his wrist. Taka was obliged to follow him down the hallway and out of the building, not knowing where he was being led to – but despite that, his wrist was starting to hurt; the large hand wrapped around him, squeezing him as if ensuring that the brunet wouldn't run away. It wouldn't be a surprise if he saw it left a mark later.

They made a corner and slid into a narrow space, an alley between two buildings. Though it was not uncommon to find college couples messing around in these areas, the both thanked the gods that now was a popular time for lectures and lunch break, making the campus as quiet and empty as they needed it to be.

The two looked at each other, equally confused, the blush on their cheeks now fading away. Taka could only stare at the blond, expecting him to say something, to explain why he was brought all the way here. He suspected nothing when the other made a move to get closer to him, closing the gap between their faces again.

It started off slow, but their lips met once more, a lot gentler this time; Toru had his eyes closed, bent forward and head tilted as he was getting lost in the moment. Taka remained stationary, his vision barely focusing on anything as he stood there, the heat creeping up his cheeks as slowly as the kiss progressed.

Toru pulled away and looked into the brunet's orbs once more, ignoring the blush on his own countenance. "...I like you, too."

Taka gulped, a whisper leaving his lips, "Toru..."

"I like you," the younger repeated. "Always have. Ever since we went out together, I've always had my eye on you."

Taka blinked. "But... I thought you hated me."

"I can't imagine ever hating you," the blond laughed softly, shaking his head, ignoring the increasing rate of his heartbeat, and he tried not to wonder if he was just imagining the pain in his chest.

He couldn't believe it... The moment he'd wished for, but never thought would come; he was finally confessing to the one and only person he'd ever liked... Butterflies no longer existed in his stomach; instead his guts felt like a circus, spinning and churning in excitement as each second passed.

"To be honest, I was happy when you bought that charm," he began, silently praying for a good response from the other, as he hadn't planned how this would turn out. "And... I was also glad when you offered to fix the broken charm with me."

Taka failed to hide his own blush, and the blond mused at the sight of his face flushing deeper, knowing exactly what was going through his mind right now; indeed, walking into that girl-infested store, humiliating themselves in front of the whole school – it was all worth it in the end.

"I'm going to be honest," Toru continued, the edges of his lips curling to form a grin, albeit a rather sheepish one. "At one point I was worried, because I thought you had fallen for A~chan, and even more so when you said we were _'just friends'_."

Taka pursed his lips in guilt, but the younger carried on, nonetheless, "The time when I kissed you, I really meant to tell you about my feelings." He shook his head once more. "But I was a coward; I made up some stupid excuse because I was afraid you didn't feel the same towards me."

Taka sucked in a breath at this realisation; would that mean, when they were in front of that store... he really didn't do it to chase the girls away?

It was genuine after all!?

"I really like you, Takahiro." The mention of his full name rolled playfully on the blond's tongue, and he grinned; the name almost tasted as sweet as its owner.

Taka himself was getting excited, taking slow, deep breaths as he waited for the other to proceed.

But he quickly reduced to a frown as Toru took a step back, pushing him away. Dumbfounded, Taka quickly looked up at him, only to be met with the other's pained expression; his gaze darkened as Toru expressed his sorrow, lips pressed flat to form a frown of his own.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "But I don't think I can be with you right now."

Taka widened his eyes, his heart skipping a beat. What? Why!?

"I... I thought you already liked Torio-chan, and yet you're doing this," he explained, referring to the kiss they had, and more importantly referring to his charm. "It's like you're confused with your feelings right now, so... I can't accept them."

Taka mentally slapped himself, voicing a swear in his head; he had completely forgot about the stupid lie he made up...

He lifted a hand, flicking the taller's forehead – hard. "You're an idiot." He grinned at the puzzled sight on the younger's face, laughing to himself in amusement. "Torio-chan doesn't exist."

It was Toru's turn to be confused, only furrowing his brows as he tried to make sense of his words. "The other day...," Taka proceeded to explain. "I wanted to tell you about my feelings, too, but I was too embarrassed.

"That's why I lied about Torio-chan... and did that other thing." He lowered his head, hiding his embarrassment, while Toru twitched slightly as he recalled having that coffee spilled all over him that day.

"I did try to tell you about my feelings again though, at your apartment," Taka continued, pursing his lips. "But it turned out you weren't even paying attention...

"But, when I thought of the time you kissed me, I was happy." He managed a smile. "That's why I wanted to tell you about my feelings again."

Toru nodded; now he was beginning to understand why he took his broken charm, why he got it fixed for him...

"I... I'm sorry if you don't like it," Taka added quickly, as if he'd just read the blond's mind; but Toru quickly corrected himself.

"I _do_ like it, it's just..." Toru paused for a moment. He was flustered, but who could blame him for being so ashamed, especially since he'd just lashed out at the brunet over the charm just moments earlier? "...Unexpected?"

Taka couldn't help laughing to himself as he watched the man before him struggle to find the right words to say. "Toru, you're really bad at lying, huh?"

_Yeah, unlike you,_ the blond thought, giving a small smile as he quickly regained his cool composure.

"We should leave before anyone sees us like this," he suggested, and the brunet nodded.

"I have a lecture soon, too, so..."

Taking a step back, they made their move together, but not before they faced each other to flash another, even wider smile. They walked side by side, the gap in between their bodies now nearly nonexistent, with the occasional blush as their fingers brushed against one another every now and again, teasing, begging for the other's touch.

Any hint of uneasiness they shared was gone, now replaced with the sense of awkwardness – but the good kind, the kind an individual would feel when they went out with their beloved for the first time. Neither of them made the effort to hide their smiles, stepping into the building together, ready to present to everyone and anyone the mutual feelings they had, but not ready to leave each other just yet.

Toru cleared his throat, bringing a hand to rub the back of his neck. "Taka-chan," he muttered, focusing his gaze on anything but. "Do you... have anything planned after class today?"

Taka blinked; what was this, Toru was asking him out on a date already? "Uh... no?" he replied, recalling his schedule for the day.

Still refusing to turn to him, Toru continued, knowing full well of how pathetic he looked right now, his cheeks now flushed a deep crimson. "Do you want to come over today?"

Taka's heart could have leapt out of his chest as the words rang through his ears – this wasn't just a date; Toru was asking him over to his apartment. Alone. _As a couple._

"...Sure."

The two continued walking, oblivious to the tall figure that had been tracing their steps, only keeping a distance between them. He came to a slow stop, drawing a long, tired breath, as he ran a hand through his dyed tressses, smiling to himself.

"Fancy making me run after you for nothing...," Ryota whispered, though moreso to himself. He lifted a hand, giving his best friend a thumbs up from behind, not caring that it wasn't in his field of vision. "Toru-nii-san, I'm proud of you!"

"May I ask?" Toru called once more as they advanced further down the hallway. "Where did you get the charm fixed?"

Taka took a moment to recall before replying, "There's a convenience store nearby. The old lady there fixed it for me."

*********

The blond watched as the swarm of students left the campus, either alone with their headphones on, or in groups, talking loudly about everything and anything – there was a group who had claimed to see a lady in black in the neighbourhood, and another group were talking about stocks and a particular management company making losses. A group of girls - first years - excitedly squealed over a particular handsome businessman.

But those discussions never passed through the blond's ears; his back leaned lazily against the marble wall, he had his hands tucked into his pockets, looking out for the student with brown curls and a backpack three times his own size.

Of course, he could never overlook someone with an appearance like that; within minutes he spotted the familiar figure, walking right in the middle of the crowd, his poofy curls bouncing with every step he took, squeezing and shoving his way through to the front.

Taka finally emerged from the crowd, flashing a wide grin as he approached the blond, the remaining students ignoring and walking past them, all in a hurry to head home.

"Sorry for making you wait," Taka apologised, bowing slightly, but Toru only flicked his forehead, very much like how the other had done to him just hours before.

"Don't be," he said, smiling. "I only waited for an hour and forty-five minutes. But next time I won't wait longer than a hundred, okay?"

Taka frowned. "But that's only a five minute difference..."

Toru was just about to flick his forehead once more, when he heard a familiar voice calling for his name, interrupting him. The both of them looked up, surprised to find Ryota walking up to them from the crowd, a hand waving at them.

Ryota widened his eyes at the sight of the couple before him, feigning ignorance. "Ah– looks like someone already beat me to it..."

Taka lowered his head, feeling another blush coming, while Toru gulped and pursed his lips. "S-sorry, Ryota," he began. "Actually, I have something to tell you–"

"Save it for later!" His friend grinned. "I only came here to tell you that I can't go home with you today. I have a date."

As if on cue, another student stepped up, taking her place right beside Ryota, wrapping her thick arms around him. She looked up at him, her face completely caked with thick layers of make-up. "Ryota-kun!" she called, her voice painfully high and yet, alluring. "Sorry for making you wait."

The other couple simply froze, utterly stunned at the sight before them. "Hah...?"

Ryota proceeded to wrap his own arm around the girl's waist; he pushed her towards him, almost rather forcefully, closing the gap between them. "We're gonna spend our first week together, so... I'm sorry I can't spend time with you today."

A smile forming on the blond's face, Toru could barely contain his excitement. "Congratulations," he greeted. "And have fun on your date. Taka and I have... something to do, too."

Taka simply remained frozen, staring at the odd couple before him, his lips parting slightly to say something; but before he could say a word, Toru had already grabbed his wrist, pulling him away from the scene.

They walked briskly down the hill, kicking the autumn leaves off the pavement beneath them; the crowd of students from before had already scattered, leaving the road clear and lonely once more. The sun was just setting, enveloping the city with a light shade of apricot that only seemed to be getting darker with every step they took.

"Toru." Taka looked up at the taller. "Why were you so eager to run away?"

"I wasn't running away." Toru was smiling, obviously in high spirits. "We just need to give Ryota and his girlfriend some space, don't we? Just like how we need ours."

"Really...?" Taka couldn't help frowning. "I thought that girl looked familiar..."

Back at the campus, the couple quickly pulled away from each other, rubbing off any imaginary dust they had supposedly contracted from their physical contact.

He winced slightly in pain as he pulled the ribbons out of his hair, glaring at Ryota afterwards. "Why the heck did you make me do that, aho!?"

Ryota laughed out loud. "I didn't want Toru to feel bad for ditching me with his new boyfriend," he sang. "Gomen ne, _Tomochi~_ "

"Why couldn't you have just called your actual girlfriend!?" Tomoya raised his voice, enraged and clearly humiliated.

"I told you, she's working right now!" The smile never once left the younger's face. "Instead of being mad at me, you should be happy for Taka-san, y'know."

The elder narrowed his eyes at him, but nevertheless made an effortless smile, his gaze now shifting to the sight of the couple in the distance. "Aho," he said again. "Of course I am."

*********

His slender fingers switching to a different chord, Toru gave his guitar a final strum, ending off with a melodious tone that seemed to trail into silence. He looked up at the man before him, a half grin on his face, hoping he had at least did his guitar playing some justice and impressed his guest.

The two were now sitting in Toru's apartment, facing each other in silence as Toru finished the last of his musical piece. Thanks to the elder's pleading, Toru was made to pick up his guitar for the first time in weeks, fulfilling the promise he had made to play for him, to show off his skills.

Taka was staring back at him in awe, his jaw dropped in the midst of the acoustic performance the blond had just put up. "Woaaahhhhh!" he squealed, clapping his hands furiously in amazement. "Toru, you should totally upload that on Youtube or something!"

Toru shook his head, grinning as he gently placed the guitar aside, resting it against the couch. "I'm not that great."

"Liar," Taka countered. "You're amazing."

"Not as amazing as you," the blond replied quickly, turning back to him, amused at how the other had froze upon hearing his words. He leaned forward, drawing himself closer towards him, and within seconds they were locked in a kiss once again.

But this moment was different from their previous ones – this was slow and careful, their lips pressed gently against each other with minimal progress, passion slowly building up as each second passed. For someone who seemed so small and reckless, Taka felt so delicate and mature, pulling the blond into the soft strength of his lips, engulfing him in his lechery.

_God..._ Toru just wanted to kiss him everywhere right now.

Bringing themselves back in the fabric of time, the two fell back, sheepishly flashing a small grin as they lost themselves in each other's gaze once more.

"You know," Toru breathed, resting his forehead against the brunet's. "You're my first for everything."

"Oh?" Taka arched a brow, curious. "Like what?"

"My first partner," Toru admitted easily. "My first kiss." He left a quick peck on the other's nose, and Taka grinned before him.

Perhaps it was due to the increasing sexual tension between them, but the elder suddenly lifted both his hands, reaching to grab the blond's collar – but that quickly proved to be a bad move, when immediately the young man lost his balance, slipping off the couch and falling face first onto the mattress below, his rear displayed so proudly behind him. "Ooowwww..."

Toru widened his eyes at the sight before him, failing to suppress a laugh that escaped his lips at the brunet's own clumsiness.

Taka blushed in the sheets, and he immediately turned to frown at the blond, knowing full well that he was being laughed at.

As his laughter trailed off, Toru too descended to the mattress, getting on all fours as he prowled over Taka's diminutive figure. With their faces just centimetres apart, he stopped; a flashback from the brunet's drunk episode playing in his head, the corners of his lips began to rise, forming an amused smile. "You're the first to ever lie on this thing."

Taka's heart fluttered at those words; even though this mattress was laid out in the open for everyone to see, even though Toru would sometimes bring his friends over, it was hard to believe that he was the only person who got the privilege to invade Toru's sleeping space – and perhaps, the space where he pleasured himself as well.

Toru lowered himself to press his body against Taka's, closing the gap between their groins; an involuntary whimper leaving the brunet's lips, he shuddered in this close proximity, his face now a deep crimson as he prayed silently that Toru wouldn't notice the slight bulge that had formed right below.

But he quickly heaved a sigh of relief, feeling Toru's own bulge pressing against him, directly above his own. Picturing themselves only being separated by layers of thin clothing, Taka couldn't help biting his lip, aroused at the thought of being this close to the person he wanted so badly...

He looked up at Toru, whose lustful gaze met his own, and he breathed. He knew what was coming.

His head tilted, Toru teased the elder, gently grazing his lips against his neck. "Is this going to be your first time?" he whispered, planting another soft kiss against his skin.

Taka tensed up slightly upon the other's touch, nodding sheepishly. "...What about you?"

"It's my first, too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told you guys that mattress was there for a reason. So Taka could fall down and leave his butt up for display www.
> 
> Remember the reader that drew out the train scene from Chapter 8? She drew out a scene from the previous chapter. Seriously one of the cutest things I've ever seen. ; o ; Go check it out, and all her other stunning art on her blog! Thanks so much Kim!  
> http://tasketesart.tumblr.com/post/113802101525/go-and-check-that-ff-u-v-u
> 
> Super tired right now. But I just want to thank everyone who's been reading and supporting me until this far! Honestly I can't think of any better ways to thank each and every one of you, I love you all ; o ; <3  
> Thanks for taking the time to read this chapter! I hope you enjoyed this one! Now we have one last chapter left, I hope you guys will stay for that!  
> Have a good week, everyone. Until next time!
> 
> **EDIT: If you were wondering, yes, this chapter should be followed by smut! However, I don't really feel comfortable writing about or posting smut. It doesn't have anything to do with the story, so you can go ahead to the Next Chapter if you'd like! If you wish to read the (badly written) smut, you can do so[here](http://jinseix.livejournal.com/6163.html). Sorry for the inconvenience!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In Toru's and Ryota's dialect:  
> "Maido" is a greeting;  
> "Sukiyanen" means "I like you";  
> And the "Scramble" in this chapter refers to the Shibuya Scramble!
> 
> Enjoy this chapter!

The bright wings of sunlight shining their ways into the bedroom, they spread their radiance across the walls, the floor, the bedsheets. Just a couple of hours before noon, outside there were already birds chirping endlessly, puppies barking at one another in a park nearby, and children were screaming and laughing around the neighbourhood. But despite all that, the young man still remained in bed, awake and tired.

A sudden vibration of his phone startled him, and the man groaned; his face still buried in his pillow, he reached out lazily for the device, his arm escaping the warmth of his sheets. His hand felt around for his phone, and when he finally managed to grab it, he quickly retreated his arm and answered the call.

"Maido?" he greeted, his expression lifted with a smile. He plopped his elbows on the bed and rested his chin lightly on the free hand, his dyed tresses frizzled and covering nearly the majority of his profile. But he didn't care about that – he only cared about the recipient on the other line.

They engaged in an extremely brief conversation, the man occasionally replying with a simple "yep" to the other's words. Eventually they hung up, but not before he ended the conversation with, "See you," and...

"Haruka-chan, sukiyanen."

*********

Just a little after noon, the streets were now crowded with teenagers, families, and groups of young adults, all out and rushing to have a quick lunch. Toru managed to squeeze through the sea of strangers, gasping for air not just from exhaustion, but also from the suffocating environment he'd been in just moments earlier. Tired, he limped towards the lamp post, flashing a smile at the petite brunet who had been waiting for him, leaning against the post with his shoulder.

With every step the blond took, his guitar charm swung freely on the backpack behind him, not sparing a second to show off its lustrous magnificence in this street filled with people.

"Sorry for making you wait!" Toru bowed as he apologised, flustered, but not before brushing any dust off his thick grey coat, presumably acquired from being in contact with the crowd earlier.

Taka looked up at the taller, his hat partially shielding his field of vision, but nevertheless, he smiled. "It's okay." He nodded. "I only waited for thirty-fi–"

Toru slammed his hat down, cutting him off. "That joke's getting old," he said, and the other didn't hesitate to flash a cheeky grin and laugh along with him.

They proceeded walking down the street, slowly, sticking close to one another as they held each other's hands tightly, their fingers intertwined. They said nothing for a while, simply enjoying being in each other's company; there wasn't a need to say anything because right now, the silence they shared was comforting. Ever since they admitted their feelings for each other, any silence between them was no longer awkward, but instead pleasant, and it hardly bothered them at all, unlike before.

Their grins widened when they arrived at the Scramble. Amidst the large humanoid crowds, the two decided to grab this opportunity; as they crossed the intersection, the gaps between their bodies widened, but their hands remained locked. They teased, moving away before pulling themselves back together, multiple times, the whole time their grins never once leaving their countenance.

They walked in no direction in particular, simply moving around aimlessly, hand in hand, as if showing off the close, doting relationship they shared, the connection that everyone in this modern society seemed to envy. Despite the crowds, it seemed as if the public gave way to them – and yet, they paid no mind, simply hustling quickly past the couple while they walked around the Scramble, bound to each other.

It wasn't long before the crowds got bigger, quicker, occasionally having to pause in their tracks as the two stood in their way. Finally they paused right in the centre, breathing heavily, laughing at themselves. Bringing the brunet closer to him, Toru wrapped his arm around his waist, before bending down slightly to lock their lips for the first time that day, feeling the other's tender pair against his own. Their hearts fluttered as the heat quickly took over them, even if it was only for a brief moment.

Their eyes locked for a second, and they broke into a giggle. They followed the rest of the crowd to the other side of the street, just in time before the traffic lights changed and the vehicles took over the intersection.

They walked down the district now, past various candy stores and bakeries, a spot popular with teenagers and youngsters alike; already the area was flooded with bright and funky colours, not just from store banners but also from the clothes and unique fashions of the crowd. Ranging from junior high students in school uniforms to young adults with fake tans and bleached hair, there was nothing this walkway lacked.

"Actually," Toru began, his cheeks still flushed with adrenaline from before. "Where the hell are we going?"

Taka furrowed his brows, as if thinking seriously. "Hmm... maybe that yakiniku place?"

Toru frowned. "We were just there last night."

"Damn it, you remember after all..."

Toru narrowed his eyes at him, while the brunet simply laughed. "I'm just kidding," he said. "There's a café nearby that's pretty nice actually. I want you to try their chocolate cake..."

"Let's go, then," the blond replied almost immediately, his face breaking into a smile.

Taka however looked around, a slight frown present on his face as he observed their surroundings. "It's somewhere here... Hang on, let me check the directions again." He pulled out his phone, a cross charm attached to it, dangling freely while the rays of the sun shone against its precious gems.

*********

The bell rang as the door slid open, and the couple stepped inside. A waiter noticed them at once, rushing to them with his hands behind his back. "You're here today." He flashed a smile at Taka, bowing as he greeted them. "I haven't seen you in a while."

Taka didn't fail to notice the waiter's gaze shifting to his partner, and then to their hands, still intertwined. He blushed. "Sorry, I forgot to mention..."

The waiter shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Table for two this time?" He brought up his second and third fingers, and Taka nodded sheepishly. They were then led to the corner, where a dainty round table with two chairs awaited them. Wooden and vintage, there was a cozy atmosphere that hung in the air, complemented with soft instrumentals looping in the background of the café.

Toru and Taka took their seats, and the waiter bowed once more. "Please come to the counter if you wish to make an order," he said with a smile, before walking back to the entrance to greet another couple who had stepped in.

Toru eyed the waiter, watching him carefully until he kept himself busy, before turning back to the brunet. "Who was that?"

"A friend. From high school." Taka lowered his head. "I've been here once, so..."

"Oh." Toru turned his attention to the wall beside him, subconsciously running his fingertips over the brick patterns, feeling every bump and crack, admiring them.

"Doushita no?" Taka blinked, but the blond merely shook his head.

"Nothing."

The elder watched him for a few seconds, eventually breaking into a soft laugh. "Baka, did you think there was something going on between us?"

Toru's fingers stopped at his words, and he looked at the brunet from the corner of his eye.

"He's just a waiter and that's it," Taka assured him, smiling. "There's nothing between the two of us. All right?"

The blond rolled his eyes, but even he couldn't help when his lips raised to form a smile. "I get it, I get it," he teased. "Are you ready to order?"

Taka nodded. "I'll go, you wait here."

"Nah, _I'm_ going." Toru immediately got to his feet, the sounds of his chair dragging against the polished wooden floor echoed through the store. He quickly made his way down to the counter, while Taka helplessly got up and followed after him.

"Wait, you're not going to pay again, are you!?" the elder questioned, but no response came from the blond, who by this time had already joined the short line, just a couple of customers standing before him.

"That's not fair! You already paid the last time!" Taka pouted, frowning at him. "At least let me pay for my dri–"

"Toru-nii-san...?"

A familiar voice caught both their attention, and their playful quarrel ceased immediately; they turned, eyes widened in surprise as they fixed their gaze on the young man standing tall behind them, Ryota...

...and a much shorter girl standing right beside him.

Ryota stared back at them, bearing the same surprised expression on his face. "Toru-nii-san?" he repeated. "Taka-san? What are you guys doing here?"

"And what about _you?_ " Toru responded quickly. "What are _you_ doing here, with..." His voice trailing off, his gaze shifted to the girl standing beside his best friend, dressed in an elegant dress that matched her long, wavy hair.

The girl blushed along with Ryota, who simply brought a hand to scratch the back of his head out of embarrassment. "Uh... I've been meaning to tell you. This is... Haruka-chan."

There was a pause, the couple looking and nodding at each other, before he finished, "...My girlfriend."

"G-girlfriend!?" the other two stuttered in unison. "Since when?"

Ryota forced a cough. "...Quite a while."

"And I only know of this _now!?_ " Toru questioned.

"W-we didn't want to make it public!" Ryota quipped, flustered. "And you're one to talk! You didn't tell me that you and Taka-san are dating, too!" he countered, hiding a grin as he feigned ignorance about their so-called forbidden relationship.

It was Taka's and Toru's turn to blush, their gaze reducing to the floor. Ryota smirked and folded his arms. "And how long have _you two_ been together?"

Toru forced a cough as well, imitating his friend. "Quite a while."

The girl Haruka clapped her hands, congratulating and genuinely happy for them, while Ryota widened his grin. "You've got to tell me all the juicy details on how you two got together!" he snickered, loving every second he had to tease the blond.

"That's none of your business," Toru replied sternly.

"Hey, I deserve to know; in case all that doki doki stuff got to your head and you forgot somehow, you two wouldn't even be together if it hadn't been for me!"

Ryota was right; his persistence to push them to talk to each other, no matter how annoying he was or how trivial it seemed, _did_ lead them to this present situation. There was no denying that fact. If Toru and Taka had been left alone, they wouldn't be here right now, they wouldn't have held each other, touched each other; they wouldn't even have dreamt of spending the past few weeks _together_ in bliss.

They almost stood there in silence, save for a ring of the bell when another customer stepped into the café.

Taka's face now completely flushed, he kept his head low, speaking despite his ultimately flustered state. "I– I'm going back to the table! Get me the hot chocolate and the cake, okay!"

And he immediately made his leave, running back to his seat while he pretended not to hear his friends laughing loudly behind him, amused by his embarrassment.

The barista behind the counter called for them to move up; they had been oblivious to the line moving before them, not realising that it was already their turn. Toru walked straight to the counter, his gaze quickly scanning the giant menu on the wall behind the barista, and voiced his orders. He was just about to pull out his leather wallet to make his payment, when the voice of a much older man bellowed through the café, catching everyone's attention,

"Hey, watch where you're going!"

There was a slight collision, and Toru, his friends, and all the other staff and customers quickly turned around to find two figures standing near the entrance – the wide age gap evident between them – staring wide-eyed at each other.

Toru recognised one of the figures... The younger, smaller one was obviously Taka, who only stood there, slightly shaken.

The other figure... It was hard to see his face, which was now shrouded with shock and anger; though he was shorter than Taka, and several years older, he still seemed big and intimidating, even for the young man.

"Look at what you've done!" the man shrieked, his head lowered to the floor now. "My wife made that!"

Taka bowed profusely. "I– I really apologise!" he said. "I didn't mean to...!"

Ryota stared at the scene with his mouth agape, while Toru rolled his eyes. "Not again...," he sighed. "That's the third time this month..." He turned to apologise to the barista, before making his way to his partner; this scene was so familiar to him now that it hardly surprised him any more, so he only approached it with weariness and apathy.

He stood in front of the brunet, defending him, but he also soon got to his knees to pick up what seemed like small, broken pieces of an accessory. "I apologise about that," he said to the man. "He can be a real klutz..."

One by one he picked them up daintily with his fingers, careful not to damage them even further, but somehow... there was something about these pieces that sent a wave of nostalgia washing through him; the way they looked, the way they felt, even the way the pieces were broken up because of how this accessory had been weaved together...

The pieces lined up neatly on his palm, Toru took a closer look at them – only to freeze as a short gasp escaped his lips.

The old and rare materials used, the elaborate sequins that had been hand-sewn, and the exquisite design they formed as a whole... Even though it looked completely different, it held an extreme resemblance to the charm he had now attached to his own backpack...

"Toru...?" Taka called from behind him, but he made no response, simply too preoccupied and utterly speechless at the sight before him.

The older man chuckled. "You recognise it, so that means you've been keeping good care of your charm too, right?"

Again, Toru remained still, but those words hardly left his ears. He could feel his own heart pounding against his chest, his hands shaking, his eyes fixed on the broken pieces.

"I leave you alone for a couple of years and you already got yourself a boyfriend?" the man continued, and Toru could feel his smug gaze on him. "What would your mother say if she saw this..."

Ignoring his forced laughter, the blond slowly, but surely, brought himself to his feet, the pieces still resting on his palm. He raised his head to face the man, the colour draining from his very own countenance. His lips parted slightly, quivering as if he needed to say something, but he was in too much of a shock to speak even a single word when he met the older man standing before him.

The man gave a low bow, the smile on his face broad and insolent as he looked up at the blond, before speaking again, "It's been a long time, huh?"

Concerned, Taka placed a hand on the blond's arm, attempting to provide a bit of support, but Toru's attention remained firm on the man. Taking a deep breath, he managed to calm himself down, but that still didn't help his voice from shaking a little when he finally muttered,

"...Dad..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...And there we have it, the final chapter, the end of Lockheart! Oh gosh. I feel so attached to this for some reason, ahahaha ; ; I hope you guys enjoyed not just this chapter, but also the entire fic in general! It was my first time writing Toruka and even making a contribution to this fandom, wow, and the support I received was lovely and I'm just really glad I did this okay ; ;
> 
> I don't know what to say, but I just want to thank everyone who took the time to read this and supported me until the very end! No words can express my gratitude for each and every single one of you, and I honestly wouldn't know how I would make it this far on my own. It's thanks to you guys that I was able to finish this with pride and confidence. I love you all! ; o ;
> 
> On a side note, soon I'll be putting up another Toruka fic, I hope there are people who are willing to read it www. Every little ounce of support will be appreciated and wow it's 4am here I need to sleep.
> 
> Thank you once again for sticking with me till the end (I hope you'll stick around again!), and I hope you enjoyed Lockheart! Until next time c:


End file.
